MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Waymo said on Tuesday that it would enlarge its driverless ride-hailing territory in five American cities over the coming week, adding nearly 250 square miles across Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area, according to a post on the company's blog.
The additions are spread unevenly. In Los Angeles, the service will run down the coast into the South Bay and take in Torrance. Nashville riders will be able to travel farther south, to destinations such as the zoo. In Orlando, Waymo said it would nearly double its coverage on the east side and improve service downtown. San Diego's map moves north to La Jolla, and in the Bay Area the company is adding more of the south, including a connection to the Berryessa BART station in San Jose.
In San Diego, the new territory includes Mission Bay, La Jolla and Clairemont, putting the University of California, San Diego, the city's Veterans Affairs medical center and the University Towne Center area within reach, Axios San Diego reported. The cars there still do not use highways or serve the airport, the outlet said. Waymo started service in San Diego on Sept. 1 with a 50-square-mile area and opened it to all riders two weeks ago.
Waymo did not give a new total for each city. AVwhere, a site that traces the company's published service maps, estimated that the changes add about 215 square miles, taking Los Angeles from about 123 to 211 square miles, Nashville from 50 to 78, Orlando from 66 to 118, San Diego from 46 to 82 and the Bay Area from 333 to 342. The tracker noted that the new Los Angeles map shades Los Angeles International Airport and that Orlando's takes in the terminal area of Orlando International Airport, though Waymo has not announced pickups at either.
The expansion caps a busy month for the Alphabet unit. On Oct. 14 it opened rides to everyone in San Antonio, San Diego and Tampa, Driverless.news reported, and on Oct. 21 it began carrying riders to and from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
It also comes against local resistance in at least one of the five cities. The San Diego City Council voted unanimously in September to ask for local control over autonomous taxi companies, including the power to keep them out of the airport, Axios reported.