Waymo, Walmart partner to make shopping easier for Valley residents
Jul 27, 2018, 1:55 PM
PHOENIX — Some Phoenix-area residents will soon be able to take Waymo’s self-driving cars to pick up groceries at Walmart, it was announced this week.
Those in the company’s early rider program, which gives self-driving access to 400 people, will save some money and be driven to Walmart in one of the self-driving vehicles to pick up groceries.
The company said it wanted to launch this pilot program to “make shopping more convenient” by cutting down on the time riders spend running errands and shopping. It also allows them to avoid the stress of parking lots.
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Waymo has collected data from the past year involving those in its early rider program. The program involves about 400 residents who are some of the world’s first regular users of self-driving technology.
The company said it has learned that “most of [the early riders’] rides are to run errands, shop for groceries, commute to work, head to dinner or fix their personal vehicles,” the company announced in a press release.
“We’ve tailored our partnerships to meet the top rider needs; in fact, the partnerships below represent eight of the top ten activities our riders do when they get in a Waymo.”
Some of the other partnerships that Waymo announced recently included the Element Hotel in Chandler “to give select guests access to Waymo vehicles,” AutoNation to allow customers to use the technology while their cars are being serviced and Avis Budget Group to give customers “a last mile solution…to help them pick up or drop off their rental cars.”
Participants can also use the self-driving service if they want to visit the Ahwatukee Foothills Towne Center in Chandler.
“While these are Metro Phoenix-specific partnerships today, these businesses are national and what we learn from these programs will give us a network of partners when we launch in new cities down the road,” the company said.
“We’re proud to be a part of Metro Phoenix and are excited to grow and add partnerships that support the cities we operate in, bring unique value to our riders, and give more people access to a safe, self-driving future.”
