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Waymo's robot minivans are ready to roll in the Bay Area for the first time since COVID-19 outbreak
Waymo's self-driving cars are returning to Bay Area roads for the first time since the company halted its public testing in early March because of the coronavirus outbreak. The Alphabet-owned company plans to return its fleet of autonomous minivans to service starting June 8th, according to an email obtained by The Verge.
Waymo's self-driving cars will be put to use delivering packages for two Bay Area non-profits: illustrator Wendy McNaughton's #DrawTogether, which provides art kits to Bay Area kids; and Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
The company is the latest autonomous vehicle operator to discover that doing deliveries allows it to sidestep restrictions that would otherwise require them to keep their autonomous vehicles off the road. Waymo, along with the rest of California's AV companies, paused on-road testing in mid-March after the city issued a "shelter-in-place" order banning all nonessential travel. That order does not have a set end date.
Waymo's robot minivans are already back on the road in the Phoenix area, as well as the company's private test facility in California's Central Valley.
Previously: Waymo Orders Thousands More Chrysler Pacifica Minivans for Driverless Fleet
Waymo Finally Let a Reporter Ride in a Fully Driverless Car
Waymo Drivers vs. Coronavirus
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 31 2020, @06:28PM (1 child)
Well... Making less than $100k there puts you in the poverty range and makes you eligible for food stamps and free solar panels.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 31 2020, @06:32PM
I thought I saw EF in the LA news footage. He was the lead protester with a bullhorn wearing a red t-shirt that said "Moscow Bitch" and looked like a 400lb skinhead.