Raphael Thys
THE coaches may be steering the teams that make it to Super Bowl LVII, but no one will be behind the wheel of the game's official transportation partner.
Self-driving giant Waymo has partnered with this year’s Super Bowl Host Committee to provide transportation for the game’s February events in Phoenix, Arizona.
Waymo will offer 2023 Super Bowl visitors self-driving transportation at Arizona’s Sky Harbor International airport and downtown Phoenix areasCredit: Waymo
The driverless car service will be available at Sky Harbor International Airport and several central stops in downtown Phoenix.
The transport company has partnered with the 2023 host committee to stress-test their fleet and reduce drunk driving-related accidents.
A National Transportation Safety Board study revealed that a prime 12-hour period during 2015 to 2019 Super Bowl Sundays led to a 74 percent increase in traffic fatalities compared to the prior week.
This time period was from 6pm Sunday to 6am Monday.
User Experience Research Manager at Waymo, Kerry Brennan, said: “The Waymo driver is never drunk, it’s never distracted, it’s never tired, it’s always 100% focused on getting folks safely where they need to go,” KJZZ reports.
Arizona locals and visitors wanting a self-driving ride for 2023 Super Bowl events can request transport from the Waymo One app.
Waymo first appeared in downtown Phoenix in November, but the launch wasn’t without its blunders.
After news broke that Sky Harbor would be giving customers rides from the airport into downtown Phoenix, a Waymo vehicle was caught holding up traffic due to a malfunction.
In a Twitter video posted by Greeñudo, a white electric Jaguar I-Pace SUV sits idle in the middle of a road near a busy intersection with its hazard lights active.
Waymo has been using these Jaguar SUVs after announcing a long-term partnership with the British auto manufacturer in 2018.
When a Waymo vehicle malfunctions, the company sends an employee to the SUV’s location for retrieval.
Waymo launched self-driving trips at Sky Harbor International Airport in November
