Google's own sister-company, Waymo, is aiming for a good start. They have been active recently and have started to test their self-driving cars to ferry shoppers. It happened at a Walmart store, where the cars ferried the shoppers and took them back to their desired destinations.
Per BBC, the experimental service is being opened to only 400-plus members that registered for the company's "Early Rider" program. The closed experimental service is being held in Phoenix, Arizona. This is more of a survey to see what works for the program, and under what circumstances Waymo vehicles can be used.
One of the key points to be measured is cost. So far, the pricing hasn't been revealed; what was known is that Walmart's Online Grocery Pickup service users were issued discounts. These users were also part of the initial 400 that signed up for the company's experimental program.
Walmart, however, wasn't the only shopping center covered by the program. Reuters reports that the Ahwatukee Foothills Towne Center in Chandler, Arizona-owned by DDR Corp.-was also used as part of the "Early Rider" program.
Companies like Avis Budget Group and AutoNation, Inc., which are based in Arizona, became part of their initial operations in some way. AutoNation, for its part, will operate a fleet of Waymo. Instead of a loaner car, they will start to offer Waymo self-driven cars while the participants' personal vehicles are serviced or left behind during trips abroad.
Avis Budget Group, for its part, will also operate Waymo vehicles and will act as a charging/ refueling station. They will also provide the self-driving cars if and only if they need these cars or if they are picking up or returning their rentals.
The Waymo experiments have offered an insight into how Google aims to combat Amazon's "Prime Now" quick-delivery service-with the help of the self-driven cars.
Google and Amazon are currently competing for a prime piece of the cloud pie, which Amazon has had an early lead on. Whatever comes out of the Waymo experiment, Google and Amazon are offering a glimpse into how shoppers of the future will go looking for products and wares.
