Waymo recently announced it would introduce its autonomous vehicles at Sky Harbor International Airport in downtown Phoenix.
The company has more than 20 million autonomous public road miles of experience and currently provides fully autonomous rides in Phoenix’s East Valley and San Francisco.
Waymo’s Jaguar I-PACEs will drive autonomously around the clock and be tested near the 44th Street PHX Sky Train Station, close to pickup and drop-off location for other ride-hail services. Testing will begin with Waymo employees hailing rides between Downtown Phoenix and Sky Harbor and eventually expand to the public.
A human “backup” monitoring the car and system will be capable of taking control of the vehicle if necessary.
“What we learn at Sky Harbor Airport will benefit us in other locations and help accelerate our progress,” Waymo said on its blog. “As we bring the Waymo Driver to more people in more places, we will be able to deploy in every new territory even faster and focus on some inherent challenges specific to each location—like driving in snow in New York City, human-like mannequins in Los Angeles’ Fashion District, or the notorious Pittsburgh left.”
Sky Harbor is one of the world’s busiest airports.