Driverless ride-hailing service Waymo will launch robotaxis in Dallas next year, the company announced Tuesday.
Dallas will become the sixth U.S. city to offer the service, joining Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco.
The city’s “vibrant downtown and bustling metro area” were key selling points for Waymo, which has also committed to deploying autonomous vehicles in other cities, including Miami and Washington D.C.
“There’s also a notable opportunity for us to improve road safety, as Dallas has the worst traffic fatality rate among the 10 largest cities in the United States,” Waymo said in a statement.
Breaking News
“The data to date shows Waymo is already making streets safer in the cities where we operate, and we look forward to partnering with the city of Dallas to work together toward Vision Zero,” it added.
The Dallas metro area is a top 10 U.S. ride-hail city by trip volume, according to Waymo.
Autonomous vehicles are becoming increasingly ubiquitous on Texas roadways. Uber announced plans in May to launch autonomous ride-hailing in Arlington, while Lyft announced in February it would bring robo-powered vehicles to Dallas.
A host of autonomous technology companies like Aurora, Volvo Autonomous, Plus and Kodiak Robotics are testing their self-driving technology for 18-wheelers on state roadways.
Texas lawmakers this session passed new regulations that will require autonomous companies to submit safety plans to the state to receive operating permits. Those changes are expected to take effect following a public rulemaking process that began last week.
The company mapped the city for its Waymo Driver system during a road trip earlier this summer and is currently performing supervised autonomous testing in Dallas with a safety driver.
Related:Driverless Ubers are headed to North Texas
Dallas residents will be able to hail rides in one of the company’s Jaguar I-PACE electric vehicles — equipped with the 5th-generation Waymo Driver — through the Waymo app.
Riders can expect similar pricing as other Waymo cities, a company spokesperson said, and users will see an estimated price, wait time and ETA of their trip before they request their car.
Rental car company Avis Budget Group will manage Waymo’s Dallas fleet, including “infrastructure, vehicle readiness, maintenance and general depot operations” as part of a new multiyear partnership.
Waymo expects to deploy “hundreds of vehicles over time” in partnership with Avis, according to the company.