Waymo Nearly Doubles Orlando Service Area, Adding Downtown and Ivanhoe Village

Orlando’s robot taxis are venturing beyond the tourist corridor and making themselves at home downtown. Waymo announced Tuesday, October 27, that it s adding 53 square miles to its Orlando service area, bringing its total coverage to 120 square miles and nearly doubling where its robot taxis can operate. The expansion pushes farther east and adds more downtown coverage, including City Hall, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, and the Orlando Science Center. When Waymo launched in Orlando back in February, its service was largely focused on the tourist corridor, though parts of downtown were already included. The company opened rides to everyone in April and has been expanding ever since. Anyone can hail one of the driverless vehicles through the Waymo app, provided their pickup and destination are within the service area. So, the next time you re heading downtown for a show, you might be able to let a robot do the driving. And you won t have to worry abo