The city of Chandler recently added Waymo self-driving cars as a new option for public transit users. A partnership with Waymo and technology company Via helped bring the program to fruition to address capacity for transportation services.
The city already uses a transit service system known as Chandler Flex, which gives people the ability to request a ridesharing vehicle. Via's software powers Chandler Flex. A person using the Chandler Flex app is now offered the opportunity to book a trip with a Waymo self-driving car during times of high demand.
Jason Crampton is the city’s transportation planning manager.
“This will be Waymo's first public transit partnership in history. So we're pretty excited about that. But in addition to just testing the autonomous vehicle, I think a big goal of this service coming is for cost savings," he said.
Crampton says demand for transportation becomes heavy in the afternoon hours due to people coming out from school, work or appointments. He says Waymo serves as an “overflow provider” to meet the needs of citizens.
Michael Vaccarino is the chief revenue officer for Via.
“Waymo has an incredible distribution of vehicles and at times of high peak demand, we want to be able to offer rides to anyone who asks and Waymo helps to unlock that," he said.
Chandler Flex operates weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
