Ride-hailing services and public transit might seem like natural rivals, but one robotaxi company is helping users catch their train.
Alphabet-backed Waymo earlier this month unveiled a pilot program under which it will offer $3 credits for future rides when users in the Bay Area hail a Waymo robotaxi to take them to or from certain transit stations. The program runs through November 15 and the credits will be available to use through the end of the year.
“This is a pilot program that will enable us to better understand how people use Waymo One to connect to public transit, and to explore ways in which we can make Waymo One even more useful as a method of zero-emissions travel,” Adam Lenz, Waymo’s head of sustainability and environment, told Tech Brew.
Waymo recently surveyed its riders in San Francisco and found that 36% use Waymo One, the company’s robotaxi service, to connect to public transit.
“We thought that was a fantastic starting point and we wanted to lean into it more,” Lenz said.
How it works: Riders don’t need to enroll. The program covers eight Bay Area transit stations across three different systems. Credits are automatically applied to the user’s account the next day, and they can earn up to one promotion per day.
In a blog post about the program, Waymo said it aims to help establish an AV “ecosystem” that gives communities access to ride-hailing services alongside other mobility solutions like transit, walking, and cycling. Depending on how the pilot goes, Lenz said the company could someday implement similar programs in other markets.
“We want to learn from the program and then explore more ways that Waymo can have beneficial impacts in communities,” he said, “and really work alongside transit agencies to understand how the program was successful in connecting more people with transit.”
Keep up with the innovative tech transforming business
Tech Brew keeps business leaders up-to-date on the latest innovations, automation advances, policy shifts, and more, so they can make informed decisions about tech.
Lenz said Waymo’s leaders see value in supporting a shared mobility ecosystem, full of options that give “people greater flexibility in the way they travel and the confidence to choose alternatives to personal car ownership.”
Lenz said he also sees Waymo playing a role in easing the transition to electric vehicles, especially given barriers to EV adoption like range anxiety and higher upfront costs.
“We think by providing shared electric mobility service,” he said, “then we can help easily connect folks with electric vehicles by bringing an EV to people’s curb when they need electric vehicle transportation.”
Clean transit: The program ties in with Waymo’s broader sustainability strategy. The company recently launched a webpage focused on its sustainability efforts. It features information about Waymo’s environmental impact, including where and how it uses renewable energy sources for its business. Waymo also recently started publicly sharing data on how its safety record compares to the performance of human drivers.
The robotaxi sector has faced some setbacks over the last year or so, but Waymo has continued to press ahead on expanding its service.
Waymo is now providing more than 100,000 paid rides per week to members of the public in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles County, and the Phoenix metropolitan area. The company estimates that its service helps to eliminate 135 tons of carbon dioxide emissions on a weekly basis, since it’s giving rides in all-electric vehicles.
“Our sustainability goal is to empower people to move safely and sustainably,” Lenz said, “and that means increasing access to shared EVs and supporting more walkable, bikeable, and transit-rich communities.”