As of now, GOOGLE/WAYMO has started to monetize some of its autonomous vehicles. WAYMO’s development of autonomous vehicles has been ongoing for more than 10 years and includes cars and trucks, as each is seen as having commercial potential. In four suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona (about a 100-mile zone), WAYMO ONE self-driving taxis are already in operation. Generating revenue after all these years of development and testing is a significant milestone and puts WAYMO ahead of rivals like GM’s Cruise Automation and Uber Technologies. All players in this field will surely want to attract and keep customers and start recouping the money invested in the technology so far.

So how does a customer use the WAYMO ONE taxi service? First, you need to download the WAYMO ONE app and provide credit card details, and then you can use the app to notify the service of your needs by providing your location and a destination. Like UBER and LYFT, the app will provide a quote and pick-up time. The service is said to run 24 hours a day, however it is now only available to a few hundred residents who signed up last year, and WAYMO has not disclosed the exact number of taxis in operation. As a cost comparison, WAYMO’s charge for a 15-minute ride (about 3 miles) is $7.60, while LYFT’s comparable charge is $7.20.

Right now WAYMO ONE taxis include a human in the driver’s seat, to intervene only in emergencies, and there is the app or console in the car to link passengers with a WAYMO ONE agent to answer questions and document comments. Some report that the ride is a bit slow and choppy at times. WAYMO works with passenger feedback to help refine every aspect of the WAYMO ONE taxi experience. Only a handful of other startups have monetized driverless technology, in small ways, such as Boston’s OPTIMUS RIDE, which has contracts to provide driverless vehicle services in low-speed, closed environments like gated retail parks and senior facilities. .

There are still significant challenges to making money in the autonomous vehicle space. Across the US there are many laws and regulations that do not provide a consistent framework for designing vehicles or the software applications required to make them work on their own. It is estimated that more than a billion dollars have been spent on driverless technology and more than 10 million miles have been traveled. Still, everyone is proceeding very cautiously, wanting to ensure that early adopters only have safe and satisfying experiences, building excitement, curiosity, and trust. Given all of that, the sky seems to be the limit for this exciting and disruptive technology.

Let Trend Disruptors be your guide to the future as we continue to identify technology investment opportunities that can lead to financial success.

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