Stalled Waymo downtown Phoenix || photographer unidentified
By Jose R. Gonzalez and Joanna Jacobo Rivera || TheArizona Republic
On Wednesday, one of the vehicles from “the world’s first autonomous ride-hailing service” blocked a lane in the Roosevelt Row Arts District and weeks before that a line of a dozen Waymo cars did the same during a heavily trafficked First Friday in the same area.
The driverless rideshare service started operating in Phoenix in 2022. Here’s what you need to know if you’re catching a Waymo ride anytime soon around the Valley.
Where is Waymo available?
Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc., launched Waymo about a year ago in Phoenix after putting in mileage in the East Valley since 2017.
Waymo’s Phoenix service area encompasses stretches from Interstate 17 on the west to 44th Street to the east and Camelback Road in the north to Interstate 10 and Washington Street in the south. In November, Waymo extended that service area to anyone traveling within downtown Phoenix to and from Sky Harbor’s 44th Street PHX Sky Train Station.
Waymo also operates in the East Valley, in parts of Chandler, Tempe, Gilbert and Mesa, but this service area is not connected to Phoenix’s.
