Waymo, the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., has announced the launch of its 24/7 robotaxi rides in Silicon Valley, a significant milestone in its journey towards commercial availability. The company's ride-hailing app, Waymo One, will now be available to select customers in a 27-square-mile service area that includes Mountain View, Palo Alto, Los Altos, and parts of Sunnyvale.

Previously, Waymo's autonomous vehicles were only accessible to the company's employees for trips across Silicon Valley, which includes Google and Waymo's respective headquarters. This expansion marks a major step forward, as Waymo's robotaxis will now be available to a select group of Waymo One customers whose zip codes are within the service area. The company plans to gradually add more riders over time, recommending users to keep an eye on the Waymo One app for future updates on access.

The 27-square-mile service area is a significant expansion of Waymo's operations, which initially began as a self-driving car project within Google's X research and development laboratory. The project's engineers were challenged to drive autonomously without human intervention or disengagements along ten 100-mile routes crisscrossing Silicon Valley. By December 2009, the team had completed their first route, and nine months later, they wrapped up the last.

Waymo's Chief Product Officer, Saswat Panigrahi, stated that "opening our fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Silicon Valley marks a special milestone in our Bay Area journey. This is where Waymo began, and where we're headquartered. Now we're bringing seamless rides, safer streets, and sustainable transportation to our local community."

This launch follows Waymo's recent collaboration with Uber in Austin, where Uber customers can be matched with a Waymo robotaxi within a defined service area. The partnership is set to expand to Atlanta later this year, while Waymo continues to operate its own ride-hailing app in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.

The Silicon Valley launch is a significant step towards commercial availability, as Waymo continues to refine its autonomous technology and expand its services. With this milestone, Waymo is essentially coming full circle, bringing its innovative technology back to the region where it all began.

As the autonomous vehicle industry continues to evolve, Waymo's expansion into Silicon Valley marks a significant development in the quest for safer, more sustainable transportation. With its 24/7 robotaxi rides now available to select customers, Waymo is paving the way for a future where autonomous vehicles become an integral part of our daily lives.