Users have been able to catch a ride in one of Waymo’s autonomous vehicles in Phoenix for quite some time now, but the company is looking to expand beyond the Arizona city. Starting now, the company is launching the first phase of its Early Rider program (which it is rebranding as the Trusted Tester program) in the city of San Francisco.
In this first phase, anyone in the city can apply to be one of the company’s trusted testers. Those who are accepted will be able to take rides in a Waymo Jaguar I-Pace SUV for free. The vehicles, driven autonomously, will still have a human driver in the front seat ready to take over if necessary. The only catch is that the riders must submit feedback on their rides.
“From using the Waymo One app, to pickup and drop-offs, to the ride itself, we receive valuable feedback from our riders that allows us to refine our product offering as we advance our service,” the company said. “We’ll begin with an initial group and welcome more riders in the weeks to come.”
