If you’ve ever taken a taxi, Uber or Lyft in Chicago you might be getting another rideshare option — and this one drives itself.
The autonomous taxi company Waymo announced Wednesday they are beginning to map out the city of Chicago as the first step in a plan to roll out their self-driving rideshare service.
“We are excited to begin laying the early groundwork for our ride-hailing operations in Chicago, and look forward to serving the city in the future,” a spokesperson for Waymo said.
For now, the vehicles will be operated by drivers while they collect data and lay the early groundwork for operations in Chicago. A Waymo spokesperson told NBC Chicago they are mapping city streets east of I-90 from the South Loop to Wrigleyville.
A fleet of Waymos were first spotted in a downtown parking garage this week.
Currently self-driving rideshares are not allowed in Illinois. A proposal to allow the use of self-driving taxis in Illinois has yet to gain final approval from state legislators.
Illinois Rep. Kam Buckner’s introduced a proposal earlier this month that would start a pilot program in Cook County, and likely Springfield in Sangamon County and Madison or St. Clair counties, for the self-driving taxis.
“Chicago is leading the future of mobility by welcoming Waymo to begin initial mapping and manual testing in the city,” Buckner said in a release. “This progress is a vital step toward safer streets and more accessible transportation for all our neighborhoods. By embracing autonomous innovation, we are ensuring Illinois remains the premier hub for 21st-century growth. I look forward to working with Waymo to safely introduce this technology to our communities.”
Waymos are currently operating in other major cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas and Phoenix. Spokespeople say they are involved in up to 10 times fewer serious injury collisions compared to human drivers in those cities.
However, the autonomous vehicles are not immune to controversy.
In December in Los Angeles, a Waymo drove through a police standoff while the suspect was on the ground and police weapons were drawn. No one was injured.
Waymo is also under investigation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for hitting a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica last month.
Those in favor of the Illinois legislation to allow Waymo believe autonomous vehicles can help enhance road safety.
“Road violence is really caused by human choice and human error,” said Erin Doherty, the Regional Executive Director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). “Autonomous vehicles play a critical role in preventing individuals form making both illegal and deadly decisions when they get behind the wheel and drive impaired so this has the potential to prevent that tragic loss of life.”
It’s not clear how long the company will be mapping Chicago streets for.
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