Waymo is bringing its robotaxi service to Austin

Prepare for more pointless traffic backups.

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This is the best summary I could come up with:

The company will kick off the initial phase of its operations in the city this fall; the ride-hailing service will become open to the public at a later date.

Waymo returned in March 2023 to test the latest iteration of its self-driving system — known as the “fifth-generation driver” — in its modified Jaguar I-Pace vehicles.

While it wasn’t a guarantee that Waymo would launch its commercial ride-hailing service in Austin — the company has tested in several cities for brief periods of time — it did hint at what was coming.

Last year, Cruise also soft-launched a ride-hailing service starting with its own employees in Phoenix, a known Waymo’s self-driving commercial stomping ground.

The announcement also comes just a week after Waymo said it was winding down its self-driving trucks program to put all of its capital, talent and resources toward ride hailing.

The company said in a blog post Thursday that it plans to expand to other neighborhoods in the city, including Barton Hills, East Austin, Hyde Park and Riverside.

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