Waymo Expands Autonomous Taxi Testing to LA Freeways

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Waymo, Alphabet‘s self-driving unit, is expanding its autonomous taxi operations to Los Angeles freeways after logging over 1.9 million miles on the city’s surface streets. The company, which began testing its all-electric Jaguar vehicles in Santa Monica and downtown LA, received approval last summer to operate on freeways and is now tackling one of the city’s most notorious challenges: navigating the 110 to 10 freeway interchange during rush hour.

“Actually, freeways are easier than surface streets,” said Rahul Jain, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at USC, who specializes in autonomous driving. “Surface streets are much harder.” Jain explained that freeways have fewer variables, such as stop signs, pedestrians, and delivery bots, making them more predictable for autonomous systems.

Waymo’s vehicles are equipped with advanced technologies, including 360-degree vision systems and lane-keeping features, which are already common in many modern cars. “There is active cruise control,” Jain said. “If the vehicle in front slows down, the car will also slow down.” However, Jain noted that “edge cases”—unpredictable scenarios like emergency vehicles with sirens—could still pose challenges for autonomous systems.

Jiaqi Ma, director of UCLA’s Mobility Center of Excellence, echoed Jain’s confidence in Waymo’s capabilities. “Freeways are more predictable, frankly,” Ma said. “But speed means decisions need to be made faster.” Ma emphasized that Waymo’s current testing phase, which involves human oversight, is crucial for refining the technology. “This is exactly what they’re doing now. They are testing it in different cities, different environments.”

Waymo’s vehicles are currently classified as Level 4 autonomy, meaning they require some human intervention. Ma expressed skepticism about achieving full autonomy in the near future, citing the unpredictability of real-world driving conditions. “It’s a tricky engineering question. I hope it will happen, but there are still a lot of technical issues to be resolved,” he said.

Waymo’s expansion comes as the company plans to test its autonomous driving technology in over 10 new cities in 2025, including San Diego and Las Vegas. The testing will involve a limited fleet of vehicles, each accompanied by trained human specialists. “During these trips, we’ll send a limited fleet of vehicles to each city, where trained human autonomous specialists will be behind the wheel at all times,” a Waymo spokeswoman said.

As Waymo continues to refine its technology, Los Angeles drivers may soon find themselves sharing the freeway with autonomous Jaguars. “Don’t be alarmed when you see a Waymo alongside you on the 10,” Ma said. “This is part of the process.”