Eliana Satkin

Rachel Kamen, Public Affairs Specialist for Waymo, shares how Waymo’s mission pairs perfectly with TravelAbility’s drive for inclusion.

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to get where they’re going. Since our start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has been focused on building, deploying, and commercializing the World’s Most Experienced Driver™ technology to improve the world’s access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. 

The Waymo Driver powers Waymo One, the world’s first fully autonomous ride-hailing service, which is available in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and soon – Austin. To date, Waymo has autonomously driven tens of millions of miles on public roads and tens of billions of miles in simulation, across 13+ U.S. states.

Waymo recognizes the transformative impact AVs can have, allowing individuals with disabilities to travel with ease, access essential services, and participate more fully in society, thereby breaking down barriers and fostering a more inclusive future for all. 

We believe that autonomous driving technology holds the promise to address many of the mobility challenges that the disability community has faced, and we’re committed to listening to and working with this community to build features that support improved mobility for all. 

We’ve partnered with key organizations that represent a variety of groups affected by lack of mobility options to ensure our product is meeting the needs of potential riders, while helping us identify gaps in our service; this includes working with organizations such as National Federation of the Blind, United Cerebral Palsy, United Spinal Association, and many more organizations that can help inform additional accessibility needs and features as we move forward as a company and transportation service provider. Waymo gains critical insights into specific accessibility needs and considerations through the Waymo Accessibility Network, ongoing rider feedback and user experience research (UXR) studies. 

Our ride-hailing app, Waymo One, supports accessibility features including screen readers, while also providing educational riding tips so riders know what to expect before entering the vehicle (how to board, where to sit, and how to control their ride). Riders who are deaf are able to contact our rider support team with a chat feature instead of a voice call. For riders who are blind or low vision, we developed inclusive wayfinding features such as being able to honk the car’s horn to easily find the vehicle at pickup, in addition to various audio cues throughout the in-car experience that help riders start the ride and describe key events along the way such as if the vehicle is changing lanes or stopping to yield to pedestrians. Our Rider Support agents are also trained to effectively and respectfully respond to riders who have various accessibility needs.

Waymo has been a steadfast partner to the disability community since its inception. Through ongoing collaboration, we have witnessed firsthand how Waymo’s autonomous driving technology has empowered individuals with disabilities, granting them enhanced mobility and newfound independence through autonomous driving solutions.

We believe Waymo’s mission is innately aligned with TravelAbility’s essential work in cultivating inclusive travel experiences. As an autonomous ride-hailing company, we feel that Waymo is a key resource for travelers who live with disabilities, offering a safe and accessible way to travel and explore independently. 

Continuing to evolve our accessibility features is a foundational part of how we think about our product.  As we continue to expand our service territories and open up service in new markets, we’ll continue to do so thoughtfully and incrementally to provide the safest, most thoughtful service to our riders so more people can enjoy the benefits of autonomous ride-hailing, including when they travel to new places!