GoogleWaymo has expanded its autonomous vehicle service area in Houston to nearly 50 square miles, adding neighborhoods like EaDo, the Texas Medical Center and Northeast Houston, the company announced.The expansion includes NRG Stadium, which is set to host hundreds of thousands of fans for FIFA World Cup festivities in June and July.The ride-hailing service first opened to the public in Houston in February, alongside launches in Dallas and San Antonio. Since then, Waymo says it has welcomed tens of thousands of riders in each city. Combined with its Austin operations, the company now covers nearly 300 square miles across four Texas cities, with plans to grow further.AdvertisementAdvertisementTesla Robotaxis are also running in Houston as of April.Shweta Shrivastava, Senior Product Leader at Waymo, spoke to the company's growth strategy."Waymo is coming to more riders, both near and far. As we welcome new cities into our service, we are also deepening our investment in the communities we already serve. Our 'land and expand' approach allows us to connect with more neighbors, ensuring we are there to support riders for everything from daily commutes and local errands to exciting nights out and the big game."The company also points to a recent internal safety analysis of 170 million rider-only miles, which it says shows the Waymo driver was involved in 92% fewer crashes causing serious or fatal injuries than human drivers, and 83% fewer crashes where airbags were deployed.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe rollout has not been without hiccups. Video captured a Waymo SUV driving into oncoming traffic near downtown Houston. A Waymo vehicle in Atlanta drove into a flooded street and stalled.Got a news tip or story idea? Email us at newstips@khou.com or call 713-521-4310 and include the best way to reach you.
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