Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company, received approval on Monday to increase the passenger service in San Jose. One early backer has been Mayor Matt Mahan. According to the report, this company plans to expand its autonomous vehicle service throughout the Bay area.

In a post on X, the business stated that the permission would not immediately alter its plans. Waymo now operates over 25000 rides per week in places including portions of Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Mountain View. The company’s coverage region, which includes Silicon Valley and San Francisco, is roughly 85 square miles in total. Now withstanding these reservations, the CPUC concluded that Waymo has shown a dedication to ongoing assessment and enhancement of its technology and safety procedure, reducing the risks connected with autonomous service in new regions. 

Up until recently, Waymo One, the company’s commercial ride-hailing service, operated between Sunnyvale and San Francisco. Waymo is now the first autonomous vehicle firm that provides paid rides in San Jose. It is anticipated that the growth into new regions would give locals more access to self driving car options. 

Although such intentions are significantly more ambitious, the corporation also hopes to open access to the San Francisco International Airport. In March, Waymo received temporary approval to map the roads at SFO. In order to map the airport, Waymo vehicles will be manually driven by staff members rather than operating autonomously. However, the permission marks the start of a gradual strategy to eventually have Waymo operate commercially there.

The service area in Silicon Valley and San Francisco is about 85 square miles. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is another airport where Waymo is pursuing operations.