Waymo is testing out its self-driving cars in Orlando.In May, WESH 2 let you know Waymo was on its way to Orlando. Now, many are spotting the autonomous vehicles around the city as the company prepares for its official rollout.Last year, Waymo announced that autonomous driving is coming to five new cities: Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando.The vehicles use artificial intelligence to detect their surroundings and warn surrounding drivers.”The future of transportation is accelerating, and we are driving it forward with a commitment to quality and safety,” Waymo said.WESH 2 saw several Waymo vehicles on John Young Parkway. Our crew followed one to Orlando’s Tangelo Park community, where the car turned off and remained parked.One neighbor, William Whitehouse, says he started seeing the driverless cars in his community about two weeks ago.”It’s parked right in front of my neighbor’s house and in front of my house,” said William Whitehouse, who lives in Tangelo Park.Whitehouse says he wants to know why the cars park in the neighborhood for so long.”It was about nine hours. I came out, and it was inching up closer and closer. When a private company is coming around and just parking inside of the neighborhoods and disrupts the normal living balance of the people that live in communities, and it feels a little bit invasive,” he said.WESH 2 took Whitehouse’s concerns directly to Waymo.In a statement, a spokesperson said, “We have our own private parking facilities. Waymo’s ride-hailing vehicles will occasionally use publicly available parking spaces when needed between trips to avoid unnecessarily contributing to congestion. We identify parking spaces using publicly available information and by following city curb restrictions, but if residents have feedback they want to share, they can always reach out to Waymo via our support website.”Waymo could not confirm an official date for its rollout. However, a spokesperson says they look forward to letting WESH 2 know when the public can ride.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Waymo is testing out its self-driving cars in Orlando.
In May, WESH 2 let you know Waymo was on its way to Orlando. Now, many are spotting the autonomous vehicles around the city as the company prepares for its official rollout.
Last year, Waymo announced that autonomous driving is coming to five new cities: Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando.
The vehicles use artificial intelligence to detect their surroundings and warn surrounding drivers.
“The future of transportation is accelerating, and we are driving it forward with a commitment to quality and safety,” Waymo said.
WESH 2 saw several Waymo vehicles on John Young Parkway. Our crew followed one to Orlando’s Tangelo Park community, where the car turned off and remained parked.
One neighbor, William Whitehouse, says he started seeing the driverless cars in his community about two weeks ago.
“It’s parked right in front of my neighbor’s house and in front of my house,” said William Whitehouse, who lives in Tangelo Park.
Whitehouse says he wants to know why the cars park in the neighborhood for so long.
“It was about nine hours. I came out, and it was inching up closer and closer. When a private company is coming around and just parking inside of the neighborhoods and disrupts the normal living balance of the people that live in communities, and it feels a little bit invasive,” he said.
WESH 2 took Whitehouse’s concerns directly to Waymo.
In a statement, a spokesperson said, “We have our own private parking facilities. Waymo’s ride-hailing vehicles will occasionally use publicly available parking spaces when needed between trips to avoid unnecessarily contributing to congestion. We identify parking spaces using publicly available information and by following city curb restrictions, but if residents have feedback they want to share, they can always reach out to Waymo via our support website.”
Waymo could not confirm an official date for its rollout. However, a spokesperson says they look forward to letting WESH 2 know when the public can ride.