Waymo self-driving cars set to launch in Denver, amid Colorado governor's push for safer roads (CBS News Colorado)
Shift into Safe News
Waymo announced its launch in Denver in September, but it's going to take a while before Denverites will be able to take a ride in one. They're rolling out their service in phases.
“It's really exciting to be one of the earlier cities in the country that's moving forward with this exciting new technology,” Gov. Jared Polis said.
The autonomous car company is here thanks to the support from Gov. Polis and Mayor Mike Johnston.
“If there are vehicles that can improve safety and improve convenience, we're all for it,” Polis said.
According to Waymo, their autonomous cars are five-times safer compared to a human driver. That's one of the biggest reasons the governor is eager to have them in Colorado.
“The single largest cause of crashes is driver distraction, right?” Polis said. “You're looking down. You're looking at your cell phone. So you take that factor out; you have a big net benefit. And so absolutely, as these become more prevalent, you'll see the number of traffic accidents and collisions go down.”
Waymo is currently in Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin and Atlanta. However, none have winter conditions like Denver. Suzanne Philion is a spokesperson for the company. She says Waymo will be ready to endure it all when the time comes.
“We have developed our system, both the hardware and software, to make sure that we're operational in four season weather, including very harsh winter conditions right now,” Philiono said. “We do operate in freezing conditions, significant hail, etc. But it gets dialed up here in Denver, so we want to make sure that we're ready and to serve the residents through that.”
Waymo employees presently drive around town while the cars and system collect data to get to know the area. That's where all the gadgets come into play.
“We actually have our sensor suite that includes cameras, radar and LIDAR,” Philion said. “So that's all data that we're collecting to ensure the safety performance. It's actually creating a 360-degree environmental view for the driver, for our Waymo driver, as we're navigating through an environment.”
The company says its goal is to begin serving the public early in 2026. That will start with a driver behind the wheel before they move to a fully autonomous experience. Waymo will start in the city of Denver and work toward expanding into the metro area and Denver International Airport.
