No wait: Hailing a robotaxi in The City is now as easy as Uber, Lyft

Getting a ride in an autonomous vehicle in San Francisco is now as simple as the tap of a finger.

Waymo, the most prolific self-driving car company in The City, announced on Tuesday that San Francisco users no longer have to put their name on a waitlist to use its app.

That means as soon as people download the Waymo One app, they will be able to order rides. The cost of Waymo’s ride-hailing service is comparable to the prices offered by Uber and Lyft.

In the past, new users were forced to wait to access Waymo services, which could take weeks or months.

The only other city in the nation where Waymo doesn’t have a waitlist is Phoenix, which has not had one since 2020. The company also operates in Los Angeles and Austin, Texas.

The decision marks another significant step for Waymo as it continues to solidify its place on The City’s streets.

Autonomous vehicles have been among The City’s most divisive issues since San Francisco emerged as a central testing ground for the technology in recent years.

Though Waymo has avoided some of the public blunders made by rival autonomous vehicle company Cruise — which had its permits to operate in The City revoked after one of its vehicles hit and dragged a pedestrian roughly 20 feet at 5th and Market streets in October — the company still has still received plenty of scrutiny.

Last month, Waymo was placed under federal investigation after the National Highway Traffic Administration received nearly two dozen reports of crashes and possible traffic-safety violations. Eight of the 22 incidents occurred in San Francisco over a period of eight years.

Both Cruise and Amazon subsidiary Zoox are also under federal investigation.

Waymo recalled its vehicles twice in the wake of accidents in Phoenix earlier this year and received backlash after one of its vehicles struck a bicyclist in Potrero Hill in February.

Meanwhile, Cruise continues to slowly rehabilitate its reputation following the Oct. 2 crash. Last week, the California Public Utilities Commission ordered the company to pay $112,500 , the maximum amount allowed under state law, for its handling of the incident’s aftermath. The company admitted that it did not fully disclose all information to investigators after the crash.

California and San Francisco lawmakers have pushed for more regulation and control over robotaxi firms’ ability to expand. But last week, State Sen. Dave Cortese pulled a bill that would limit the number of commercially operated self-driving cars in the state’s biggest cities due to staunch opposition from the industry. He told The Examiner that “there wasn’t a path forward,” despite the bill having already passed in the California Senate.

According to the company, Waymo vehicles have driven roughly 3.8 million miles in San Francisco, and nearly 300,000 people have signed up to ride in its robotaxis in The City.