Waymo is launching in five new cities across Texas and Florida. Autonomous vehicles in Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando will begin accepting rides next year.
The Alphabet-owned company said operations (sans passengers) will begin on Tuesday in Miami. The other cities will follow "over the coming weeks." This phase is where the vehicles drive around town without anyone inside. That gives the company a chance to spot local quirks and adjust the driving algorithm accordingly.
Waymo said this local adjustment phase requires fewer changes with each added city. "This data feeds into a flywheel of continuous improvement, bolstered by rigorous validation through real-world driving and advanced simulation, then implemented through regular software releases," it wrote. The company claims its robotaxis are involved in 11 times fewer serious injury accidents than human drivers.
Waymo's autonomous vehicles currently accept passengers in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta and Austin. The list of "up next" cities is much longer, including a recently announced expansion into San Diego, Detroit and Las Vegas.