DENVER — Autonomous taxi company Waymo is still on track to start giving rides in Denver "later this year," despite a warm and dry winter, the company told Denver7 this week.
Waymo — a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet — announced in September that it plans to expand to Denver. It has been testing its self-driving SUVs and vans on city streets in recent months, with humans still sitting in the driver's seat.
The company told Denver7 its taxis have "years of experience navigating snow," and data from other, snowier cities this season will allow the entire fleet to handle harsher conditions moving forward.
This season’s variable conditions—from heavy lake-effect snow in the Midwest to freezing rain across the Northeast—have provided a rigorous, real-world environment to ensure the Waymo Driver is ready for the unique challenges these conditions bring.
Regardless of whether Denver saw record snowfall this year, the Waymo Driver is constantly building its collective experience. A key advantage of our technology is that what one vehicle learns benefits the entire fleet—whether that vehicle is driving through routine snowstorms in Minneapolis or record freezing temperatures in Florida.
Waymo also shared video of its autonomous cars driving on snow-covered roads this winter in different U.S. cities. The company has previously been active in warm-weather cities like Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles, but is now planning to expand to cities with colder climates.
While the company has shared data showing its taxis significantly reduced intersection crashes with injuries compared to human drivers, some in the community are hesitant about the idea of taking an autonomous taxi ride, especially in wintry weather.
