Self-driving taxi service Waymo working toward public launch in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — A new form of transportation is coming to Pittsburgh.

On Wednesday, Waymo, an autonomous ride-hailing service, announced it is coming to the Steel City.

“We’re excited for residents and visitors in Pittsburgh to one day experience the safety, convenience, and magic of our technology firsthand,” the company’s announcement reads in part.

Waymo will start manually driving in Pittsburgh’s Downtown core with a fleet of its 5th and 6th generation Waymo Driver. Then, the company will validate its technology over several months, working toward a public launch.

The company says it’s excited to come to Pittsburgh, in part because of its special place in autonomous vehicle history.

The Carnegie Mellon Tartan Racing team won first place in DARPA’s Urban Challenge back in 2007, which Waymo says kicked off America’s pursuit of autonomous vehicles. The team even included Waymo alumni who are still leading the development of autonomous driving technology.

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