Waymo vehicles are now driving themselves on Pittsburgh roads, though company employees remain in the driver\u2019s seat during testing.<\/p>\n
Euan Guttridge, a Pittsburgh-based senior director at Waymo, confirmed Thursday the vehicles were testing fully autonomously. He said he hopes commercial service can begin \u201cvery soon.\u201d <\/p>\n
Guttridge made the announcement at the AI Horizons Pittsburgh Summit, a two-day event in the city\u2019s Bakery Square complex, where Waymo also maintains its local offices.<\/p>\n
The company, owned by Google\u2019s parent company Alphabet, already operates in over a dozen American cities, including Los Angeles, Atlanta and Nashville. The company is also testing in other nearby cities like Philadelphia, Detroit and Washington D.C.<\/p>\n
Ethan Teicher, a Waymo spokesman, said he could not estimate when the service will be available to the general public in Pittsburgh because the firm is still waiting on state permission to remove \u201cvalidation drivers\u201d from the vehicles.<\/p>\n
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to inquiries about a potential timeline for permitting.<\/p>\n
Since the company arrived in Pittsburgh last December, Guttridge said its vehicles have been mapping the region and testing software.<\/p>\n
Jonathan Morrison, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said at the summit that the technology would help fight the \u201cfatality crisis\u201d on American roads and help those \u201cleft behind by the inability to drive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAccess to transportation is access to freedom,\u201d Morrison said.<\/p>\n
On its website, Waymo touts a 94% reduction in serious injury or worse crashes compared to human drivers.<\/p>\n