Waymo is pushing the envelope in autonomous transportation with a new round-the-clock service at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. According to an announcement by the company on Tuesday, all Waymo One users can now experience driverless pickups and drop-offs directly at the curbsides of Terminals 3 and 4, any time of the day or night. This expansion, as reported by ABC15, builds upon the company's initial offering that began in December 2022.
The extension of this service is considered to significantly enhance the convenience for airport travelers—who no longer have to schedule their flights around the previously limited driverless car hours to benefit from this futuristic mode of transport. According to AZ Family, the earlier iteration of the service was available only between the hours of 10:00 P.M. and 6:00 A.M. Waymo's newer, expanded service ambitiously seeks to offer to seamlessly connect air travel with ground transportation at any time of day.
The company has also stated that these autonomous vehicle rides to and from Phoenix's main airport have become an increasingly frequented option, with thousands of trips being registered each week. This high volume of use is slated to push the number of total Waymo trips to and from Sky Harbor beyond the 100,000 mark since the service was first made available, as mentioned in the same ABC15 report.
For those who have found an affinity with Phoenix's PHX Sky Train, Waymo assures continuity in providing transport services to the 24th and 44th Street stations. "Offering fully-autonomous rides directly to airport terminals 24/7 is another groundbreaking milestone for Waymo One. We’re grateful to our partners at Sky Harbor for working with us every step of the way to enable these critical pickup and dropoff locations for our riders," Brad Gillette, Waymo Phoenix Market Lead, told AZ Family.
