In the cutthroat rideshare industry, it’s not typical to promote other modes of transportation, but Waymo has proven to be anything but typical during its Los Angeles rollout.
The autonomous rideshare company announced this week that it is launching a pilot transit credit program for Los Angeles riders, steering them toward public transportation options to get to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Through April 1, riders that take a Waymo to one of eight eligible transit stations en route to LAX will receive a $3 credit on future rides.
Eligible transit stations include Big Blue Bus locations at 5th & Arizona in Santa Monica, Lincoln & Venice in Venice and Sepulveda & Washington in Mar Vista. Credits can be used once per day, twice per week, and are automatically uploaded into an account. The Los Angeles pilot program comes after a successful similar program in San Francisco.
“Waymo wants to continue reinforcing that we want to be part of a multimodal transportation system,” Waymo Los Angeles City Policy Manager Adam Lane said. “We hope to continue to be (a) first-mile, last-mile solution for public transit … as we’re currently not serving LAX, we wanted to make sure that Waymo riders had a way to get to (and) from the airport.”
The company made local transit agencies aware of the program in advance, a move that promotes public transit lines and a more affordable, energy-efficient means of transportation.
“We appreciate Waymo’s continued commitment to expanding mobility access for communities in Santa Monica and West Los Angeles … we hope it helps make first-last mile connections with Big Blue Bus more seamless for those traveling to and from LAX, and encourages more people to experience our service as a safe, sustainable, and convenient alternative to driving,” Santa Monica Department of Transportation Director Anuj Gupta said.
While the company could be selfish and shut out multimodal activities for business’ sake, Lane said Waymo doesn’t “view ourselves as a one size fits all solution,” and it will take the collaboration with public transit to address traffic safety and emission issues.
Rolling out in Los Angeles over the past few months, Waymo has been in contact with LAX officials about potentially serving trips to and from the airport. Lane added that making over 200,000 trips to and from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix makes him “confident” the company can soon serve the air travel hub.
Since beginning in Los Angeles, Lane said the company continues to see high demand for the product, used for major attractions and daily activities alike. The autonomous vehicles have just begun freeway testing as well in the Santa Monica area, echoing how Waymo used the city as its initial Los Angeles testing ground.
