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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Waymo's robot minivans are ready to roll in the Bay Area for the first time since COVID-19 outbreak [theverge.com]

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 [wendymacnaughton.com] #DrawTogether, which provides art kits to Bay Area kids; and Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired [lighthouse-sf.org].

The company is the latest autonomous vehicle operator to discover that doing deliveries allows it to sidestep restrictions [theverge.com] 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 [theverge.com] 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 [theverge.com], 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 [soylentnews.org]
Waymo Finally Let a Reporter Ride in a Fully Driverless Car [soylentnews.org]
Waymo Drivers vs. Coronavirus [soylentnews.org]

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