(Reuters) – Alphabet’s (NASDAQ:) Waymo said on Tuesday its autonomous taxi service, Waymo One, is now available to everyone in San Francisco, nearly four years after a similar move in Phoenix, Arizona.
Self-driving vehicles are expected to boost the commercial success of automakers, even as regulatory scrutiny remains tight amid investor concerns about growing investment in the emerging technology.
Waymo had launched a testing service with its research-focused program in San Francisco in 2021, with an autonomous specialist on board for all rides at the time, as it looked to commercialize the technology.
The company said about 300,000 people had signed up to ride with Waymo since it first opened a waiting list in the city, indicating strong demand. Now with open access, anyone can request a ride via the app.
The company had opened up access to anyone in Phoenix, Arizona in 2020 with no waitlist.
Mountain View, California-based Waymo is a pioneer in self-driving technology, launching its first U.S. driverless taxi service in 2020, more than a decade after it was born in 2009 as a project within Google.
In March, the company received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to launch its Waymo One in Los Angeles and some cities near San Francisco.
Rivals including General Motors-backed Cruise and Amazon.com’s (NASDAQ:) Zoox are accelerating a race to succeed amid investigations by auto regulators into the performance of autonomous cars.
Last month, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had learned of nine additional incidents raising concerns about the performance of Waymo self-driving vehicles.
