Robotaxis as public transit? Waymo thinks so

Waymo is teaming up with tech transit startup Via to integrate its autonomous vehicles into city public transit networks, starting with a growing suburb of Phoenix.

In Chandler, Arizona, Waymo’s robotaxis will soon join the town’s Flex microtransit service. Users book rides on the Chandler Flex app to be picked up by a shared vehicle and taken to their destination, often connecting to Valley Metro bus routes. Soon, users may be matched with Waymo’s fully autonomous vehicles as part of the service.

The service will run Monday through Friday, 6AM-9PM, with rides booked through Chandler Flex costing just $2 for regular riders, $1 for seniors and wheelchair users, and free for middle and high school kids. (Waymo recently introduced teen accounts in Phoenix so kids as young as 14 can ride without their parents.)

The partnership has the potential open up more passengers to Waymo’s driverless technology. Phoenix residents have been able to hail a Waymo via the Waymo or Uber apps for years now, with rides priced comparably to human-driven rideshare trips. But autonomous rides along a planned route for a low-cost, flat fare is sure to open up the technology to a new segment of the population.

Chandler Flex operates using technology developed by Via, which sells software and operational services to cities, transit agencies, schools, and other institution that want to combine on-demand ridesharing with public transit. Via’s software enables transit officials to create “flexible routes” based on passenger demand, while also complying with federal and accessibility reporting requirements, the company says. If everything goes well, Waymo and Via plan on pitching a similar model to other cities for their microtransit needs.

But some transportation experts worry that autonomous vehicles will siphon riders from transit, which could lead to service cuts. Most ridesharing users don’t want to transfer to another mode of transportation — they just want to get to their destination. And regular transit users, which tend to be more low-income, have difficulty affording many rideshare trips.

The microtransit option is a neat way at circumventing some of these pitfalls. And Waymo isn’t the only one to have this idea. Michigan-based autonomous driving startup May Mobility also worked with Via to connect it with potential riders in Sun City, Arizona, a retirement community outside of Phoenix. Its vehicles were free to use through the week, though that partnership has since concluded.