PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 Waymo is restarting rides on freeways, starting in the Valley, after software upgrades to improve performance around construction zones. <\/p>\n
The company said Wednesday that it is gradually resuming freeway trips in Phoenix, with San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin and Miami to follow. <\/p>\n
Waymo paused freeway service<\/a> in May as the company worked to improve how the vehicles handled construction zones. In June, Waymo pulled 3,871 Jaguar cars<\/a> equipped with the fifth-generation automated driving system to make software updates.<\/p>\n According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration<\/a>, the freeway-capable self-driving cars did not recognize ramp closures in construction zones in Arizona and California. Federal officials said the cars drove past ramp closure signs<\/a> into preplanned freeway construction zones in Phoenix.<\/p>\n The driverless rideshare company said service continued as normal on surface streets across all Waymo cities during the freeway pause.<\/p>\n The company said it now has made software updates, worked with regulators and local officials and validated performance through testing, simulation and real-world driving with safety specialists.<\/p>\n Waymo said it will closely monitor performance as the driverless cars gradually return to freeways. <\/p>\n See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it<\/a>.<\/p>\n