Even so, Waymo is moving forward.

The autonomous taxi company owned by Alphabet has officially opened its service to all users in Miami after launching controlled testing with a waitlist earlier this year. Now, anyone can request a driverless vehicle directly through the app.

Miami Becomes Waymo’s Most Complex Challenge Yet

The expansion means more than simply adding riders. It pushes Waymo into one of the most difficult urban environments for autonomous driving technology.

The company has extended its service beyond Downtown Miami and Miami Beach into areas including Miami Gardens, North Miami Beach, Miami Shores and Little River. For the first time, its vehicles are also navigating major highways such as I-95, Dolphin Expressway and Palmetto Expressway, forcing the system to handle high-speed lane changes, merges and exits in real time.

All of this comes just as South Florida enters hurricane and tropical rain season — a timing that raises concerns considering Waymo’s recent struggles with flooding.

You might be interested: Carlos Vives Brings “Tour Al Sol” to Miami’s Kaseya Center

Flooded Streets Already Caused Problems

Only weeks ago, a Waymo vehicle in San Antonio became trapped after attempting to drive through standing water. The system reportedly detected the flooded area and slowed down, but continued moving until the car became stuck.

Following the incident, Waymo temporarily recalled around 3,800 vehicles to review and improve its software.

Miami quickly presented a similar situation.

During one of the company’s first public operation nights, a Waymo vehicle reportedly became stuck in a flooded street in Miami Beach. According to reports, the car spent several minutes attempting to move back and forth before a remote support operator contacted the passenger to assess the situation and help guide the vehicle out.

As compensation, Waymo offered the passenger an Uber discount code.

A Strategic Gateway to Latin America

Waymo’s expansion into Miami is about more than transportation. The city also represents a strategic bridge to Latin America, where millions of tourists and visitors pass through every year.

For many international travelers, riding in a fully autonomous taxi may become part of the Miami experience itself — a futuristic attraction as much as a transportation option.

Since arriving in Miami in January, Waymo accumulated more than 150,000 waitlist requests across Miami and Orlando before officially opening the service to the public.

The company currently operates Jaguar I-Pace vehicles equipped with lidar sensors, cameras and radar systems, all monitored remotely in real time.

The Autonomous Driving Race Is Just Beginning

Although Waymo currently leads the public autonomous taxi market in the United States, competition is already growing in Miami.

Zoox, Amazon’s self-driving vehicle company, has also deployed vehicles throughout the city. Unlike Waymo, Zoox still keeps engineers inside the cars to collect traffic data, study driver behavior and analyze urban movement patterns before eventually launching a broader service.

For now, Miami may become the ultimate proving ground for autonomous driving technology. Because if Waymo can survive flooded streets, tropical storms and Miami traffic, it may be able to operate almost anywhere in the world.

Note AVG

The post Waymo Opens Its Autonomous Taxi Service to Everyone in Miami — With Tropical Storms and Flooded Streets as the Ultimate Test appeared first on Influencer, tu revista digital con tus creadores de contenido favoritos.