Waymo gets green light for San Jose amid South Bay expansion
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Ordering a driverless taxi will soon be an option from San Francisco to San Jose.
On Monday, Waymo's permit to expand its passenger service in San Jose was approved.
Mayor Matt Mahan has been an early supporter.
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"It's about time such an innovative solution starts rolling through the streets of the capital of Silicon Valley," Mahan said.
Until now, the company's commercial ride-hailing service, called Waymo One, was available between San Francisco and Sunnyvale.
With this latest CPUC approval, Waymo is the first driverless car company authorized to offer paid rides in San Jose.
"We want people to have a ride to work that is as convenient, efficient and as responsive as the products they're creating when they get to the office," Mahan said.
However, hailing a driverless ride to the San Jose Mineta International Airport might take some time.
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Julie Jarratt, the airport's Public Information Manager, said we're still a few steps away.
"It sounds like with every conversation we're getting a step closer," Jarratt said.
Jarratt added it would be very exciting if they were available with all of the sporting events happening next year.
"Waymo autonomous vehicles are such a wow factor, having ridden in one before, I can say that it's a lot of fun, but the looks that you get from tourists and others as they pass by are pretty hilarious," Jarratt said.
Waymo has said its safety record is better than that of human drivers. But people we spoke to don't feel like the tech is quite there yet...
Salinas resident Brent Ehrlich said he feels safer with a human driver.
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"I didn't think it was a good thing in San Francisco, they seem to be all over the road a little bit and nobody is sitting in the driver's seat, kind of gives me a little scary feeling about that," Ehrlich said.
We spoke to Eugene Bradley, who founded Silicon Valley Transit Users, a public transit advocacy group, 25 years ago.
He's in the middle.
"Another form of competition for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority in terms of ridership and in particular, those who can afford to spend on autonomous car travel," Bradley said.
Waymo has not shared a start date for its San Jose expansion.
