Driverless Waymo cars coming to Denver
The autonomous ride-hailing service Waymo is planning to put its rideshare cars on Denver streets starting this week, CBS News Colorado has learned.
Sandy Karp, a Waymo spokesperson, confirmed the information obtained by CBS Colorado, stating that the company will put about a dozen of its electric vehicles on the streets starting this week.
"We'll begin with a limited fleet," said Karp, "and scale up as service grows".
Although Waymo is known for its driverless cars, Karp said the vehicles would initially begin with drivers behind the wheel before transitioning to fully autonomous or driverless, after a period of time.
Karp said she was not certain how long it would be before all the Waymo vehicles would be driverless.
The cars -- when operating without a driver -- rely on sensors, radar, cameras, AI software, and high definition maps to navigate around American cities. Users summon the driverless cars via an app, much like Uber or Lyft.
The service is already on the streets of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta. The company says its cars are in fewer crashes than vehicles with drivers.
Karp said Waymo had worked with local and state officials on operating in Denver.
The city's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure said they'll work with Waymo as needed, stating, "As Colorado law reads, if Waymo can follow all the traffic laws, it can operate in our state. Beyond that, DOTI does not have a regulatory role in how they operate on city streets. We'll partner with Waymo as needed to assist in their community engagement/education efforts."
