The autonomous taxi service Waymo says it will begin paying riders a small bonus if they take public transit the same day they grab a Waymo ride.
Waymo’s Transit Rewards program will give certain riders $2.85 in credit when they connect with public transit within two hours of riding in one of its driverless vehicles.
The program is currently limited to the Bay Area—$2.85 is the price of a bus fare in San Francisco—but the company says it will hopefully expand to its other partner cities, including Los Angeles and Phoenix. Eligibility is also limited to Visa card users, Waymo says.
It’s a curious incentive that could potentially solve a very real problem in California’s transit system.
Waymo could be solution to common transit problem
While the state has made major strides expanding its rail systems and improving bus reliability, California’s designed urban and suburban sprawl can leave a lot of residents far from the nearest transit stop.
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It’s called the “last mile problem,” and it’s one of the biggest challenges in getting more people to use public transportation.
Studies have shown people are less likely to take public transit if their final destination is further away than they care to walk, typically about one-quarter of a mile.
Common solutions for the last mile problem include pedestrian upgrades to make the walking experience more pleasant, improve bicycle infrastructure to encourage cycling, feeder buses and/or rideshare.
And that’s where Waymo comes in.
The company says its systems and local transit networks in the cities in which it operates are part of a “complementary mobility ecosystem.”
“Shared mobility is a team effort, and our autonomous ride-hailing service helps expand clean transportation options for everyone,” said Waymo executive Adam Lenz. “We’re thrilled to partner with local transit agencies to fill multimodal gaps and make daily commutes easier through our new transit rewards program.”
- Waymo’s fleet of autonomous vehicles is fully electric
In addition to the new “Waymo Cash” rewards, the company has also partnered with the Bay Area’s commuter rail service Caltrain.
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Waymo will lease 40 dedicated parking spots at Caltrain stations to “better serve transit riders with staged vehicles.”
When a Caltrain rider arrives at the station, a driverless taxi should (ideally) be ready to take them to their final destination.
California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin said Gov. Gavin Newsom has tasked the CalSTA and other industry leaders to “build a transportation system that meets Californians where they are.”
And that, Omishakin says, means making a trip to a transit station “as effortless as the train ride itself.”
Waymo’s transit rewards program is being soft-launched among its employees before being gradually rolled out to the greater public in the coming weeks. When the public has access, it will apply to all 27 San Francisco Bay Area transit agencies that accept contactless Visa payments.
While Waymo’s largest partner cities are in the Bay Area, Los Angeles County and the Phoenix metro area, its driverless vehicles can also be found in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston, Texas; Orlando and Miami, Florida; and Atlanta.
Additional services in San Diego, Las Vegas and Denver launched earlier this month.
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