Waymo opens driverless rides at Harry Reid International Airport
Initial Las Vegas airport service is limited to existing riders and the company’s 24-square-mile service area
Waymo began offering fully autonomous trips to and from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on Oct. 21, extending its local ride-hailing service to one of the city’s main arrival points. The initial rollout was limited to current Waymo riders in Las Vegas, with access set to expand gradually before becoming available to all customers.
Pickups and drop-offs are handled at dedicated autonomous-vehicle zones on the Ground Zero Level of Terminals 1 and 3. Airport trips are available only between the terminals and destinations inside Waymo’s current 24-square-mile Las Vegas service area, which includes much of the resort corridor as well as Chinatown, Allegiant Stadium and areas near UNLV.
Waymo said it intends to serve more of the region over time. Clark County Director of Aviation James C. Chrisley said the airport, which serves millions of passengers annually, was seeking additional transport options as technology evolves.
The public launch followed an earlier regulatory and testing process. In August, Waymo received permission to drive fully autonomously at the airport and planned to begin employee airport trips before opening the service to riders. Autonomous-vehicle companies required authorization from the Clark County Department of Aviation to operate at Harry Reid, while Waymo’s Nevada permits also imposed crash-reporting, inspection, maintenance and repair-record obligations.
Reports differ on the timing of Waymo’s preceding Las Vegas service rollout. FOX5 and KTNV described fully autonomous rides as starting in early July, while the Las Vegas Sun said the driverless service launched Sept. 14 and other reports described public or paid service beginning in September. The airport service also follows Waymo’s partnerships with the Las Vegas Raiders, Allegiant Stadium and The Venetian Resort.
Harry Reid is Waymo’s sixth major airport operation, according to TechCrunch, after Phoenix Sky Harbor, Nashville International, San Antonio International, San Francisco International and San José International. As covered earlier this month, Waymo also began a limited airport rollout at Nashville International on Oct. 13.
Waymo becomes the second autonomous ride-hailing operator approved at Harry Reid. Amazon-owned Zoox had already begun offering airport rides after receiving approval in early September. Nevada regulators also approved permits in August that would allow Tesla and Uber to deploy thousands of robotaxis on Las Vegas streets over the following year.
Waymo operates its Las Vegas service with sixth-generation Ojai vehicles, which use radar, lidar, cameras and external audio receivers. The custom-built vehicles have elevator-style doors, seats for four passengers and three passenger-control screens.