Highlights

<p><a href="https://waymo.com/rides/phoenix/">Waymo</a> will begin offering free rides in its new Ojai autonomous vehicles to select riders in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles within the coming weeks, the company's product communications manager Chris Bonelli told KTAR News 92.3 FM.</p> <p>Bonelli said riders will be notified by email and through the Waymo app when it is their turn. No exact launch date has been set. After the free introductory period, Waymo plans to open the Ojai to all Phoenix riders on a paid commercial basis later this year.</p> <p>The Ojai is designed for easier entry than existing Waymo vehicles. Bonelli described the doors as wide and elevator-like, with a low step-in height, grab handles, and a cavernous interior suited for passengers, companions, and luggage. Accessibility features include a handle integrated into the seat, screen-reader compatibility, and embedded braille.</p> <p>Waymo's <a href="https://waymo.com/rides/phoenix/">Phoenix service</a> currently covers <a href="/entity/downtown/">Downtown</a> Phoenix, Scottsdale, and parts of Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler, according to the company's website. The Ojai rollout comes after Waymo temporarily suspended freeway service in metro Phoenix and several other cities because of technical issues, as KTAR reported.</p> <p>Riders who want early access can sign up as a Trusted Tester through the Waymo app.</p> <h2>What makes the Ojai different from current Waymo vehicles?</h2> <p>Bonelli described the Ojai as offering more space and easier access than existing Waymo vehicles, with wide elevator-like doors, a low step-in height, grab handles, a seat-integrated support handle, screen-reader compatibility, and embedded braille, features aimed at riders who find current vehicle designs difficult to enter or exit.</p> <p>Waymo has not disclosed a specific date for when the first Phoenix riders will receive access; the company says notifications will go out by email and in-app on a rolling basis.</p>

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  1. ktar.com retrieved 02/06/2026 17:36
  2. waymo.com retrieved 02/06/2026 17:36

Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 02/06/2026 17:36. Every claim traces to a source.