Phoenix mayor snags a ride in a driverless Waymo car as company launches autonomous rides in downtown

Phoenix's mayor recently took a spin in a driverless Waymo car to announce the launch of fully autonomous car rides in downtown Monday, though only for a small subset of people.

The self-driving car company affiliated with Google launched in downtown months ago, but safety drivers sat behind the wheel in case of emergency. Now, people who are part of the company's Trusted Tester program can ride completely solo, for a fee.

Residents can apply to become testers through the Waymo One app available on smartphones. The company wants a diverse set of riders with varying transportation needs, a spokesperson said.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego took a driverless ride and shared her experience in a video posted to social media Monday.

At one point in her ride through downtown, she notes a group of pedestrians at three corners of an intersection and 10 nearby cars.

"That's a lot for a human to process but no problem for the Waymo driver," Gallego says.

She later adds that self-driving cars could change the way cities are built and lauds Waymo for its "clean and sustainable" technology.

The Trusted Tester program uses electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles.

"I also hope it will make us a more inclusive city," Gallego said, "There are a lot of people in the community who can't drive or choose not to. We want them to be able to go everywhere they want to."

In the Trusted Tester application, Waymo asks the applicant if they want access to the program "to gain independence in transportation" instead of having to rely on others.

The issue hits close to home for Gallego, who couldn't drive for about a year after experiencing a seizure in 2013.

"I learned first-hand that it is not easy to navigate this city without a car," Gallego wrote in Jewish Life Magazine.

A Waymo spokesperson said the company also is working on providing wheelchair accessible vehicles. Interested residents can request it through the app's support feature.

Waymo has operated in an approximately 50-square-mile area covering parts of Chandler, Mesa and Tempe for years, both with a test program and a public ride service called Waymo One.

Earlier this year it expanded to a new Phoenix service area roughly bounded by 44th Street to the east, Interstate 17 to the west, Camelback Road to the north and Interstate 10/Washington Street to the south. Fully driverless rides will operate in a small portion of this region and expand to the full Phoenix service area, a spokesperson said.

The Phoenix service area does not include Sky Harbor International Airport, but Waymo employees can use the service to access the airport with a safety driver, indicating the company's plans to expand service there eventually.

Look inside: Waymo expands testing of fully driverless vehicles in Arizona

Reach reporter Taylor Seely at tseely@arizonarepublic.com or 480-476-6116. Follow her on Twitter @taylorseely95 or Instagram @taylor.azc.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Waymo lets some in Arizona ride in autonomous vehicles. Who can apply?