Students use the Waymo driverless vehicles to get to school.
Source: Waymo
Waymo is rolling out amenities to entice riders to use its self-driving taxis, creating a potential route to profitability in a money-losing industry.
The Alphabet subsidiary is testing complimentary Wi-Fi in its robotaxis in greater Phoenix, where hundreds of the company’s identical, driverless minivans have been carrying paying riders since December. In late April, Waymo launched ad-free music streaming for passengers through Google Play Music, its parent company’s answer to Spotify and Apple Music.
Waymo also has appealed to families with non-tech perks: It has installed a child car seat in every minivan and ensures vehicles arrive cooled to a precise 72 degrees in Arizona’s desert heat.
The aim is persuading passengers that the company’s ride service, dubbed Waymo One, is less stressful than driving their own cars or riding with its rivals. Chatty or sketchy drivers, and vehicles that vary in size and…
