Waymo expands to Torrance, Manhattan Beach and other corners of L.A. County
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Set us as preferred Waymo expanded its Los Angeles service area on Tuesday, adding three South Bay neighborhoods to the 210-square-mile region where the robotaxis roam.Riders can now travel to Torrance, El Segundo, and Manhattan Beach in a Waymo driverless taxi, but they still won’t be able to call a ride to or from Los Angeles International Airport.
The Mountain View-based company also added high-demand destinations to its network, including Universal Studios and The Beverly Hills Hotel.In May, Waymo launched its next-generation taxi dubbed the Ojai, which is cheaper to deploy and better equipped for extreme weather conditions.
Business As the robotaxi race heats up across the country, key players including Waymo, Zoox and Tesla claim their technology is safer than human drivers.As Waymo’s fleet grows, so does the number of accidents involving its vehicles.
Crashes involving Waymo taxis tripled last year in L.A.County, according to a Times review of autonomous vehicle crash data filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The vehicles still had relatively few incidents, and most were fender benders.Around 80% of the crashes reported in the county this year resulted in no apparent injuries, 15% caused possible injuries, and fewer than 1% caused a suspected serious injury.Waymo’s crash rate is falling, notably, with the company reporting fewer crashes per million miles driven each year since 2023.
The robotaxis arrived in San Diego for the first time over the summer, around the same time the company also expanded into Tampa, Las Vegas and Denver.Some local officials in San Diego objected to Waymo’s presence and asked the state for more authority over when and where the taxis can be deployed.In addition to the new Los Angeles destinations, Waymo expanded its San Diego service area north to La Jol...