Editor’s note: We love seeing our Waymo One riders share their experience with the world. After catching this video of one of Jesse’s recent rides, we reached out to him to get more info on how it went. In the Phoenix area and want to experience a fully autonomous ride for yourself? Just download the Waymo app and hail one instantly!

Waymo’s story starts in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since early 2009, when we completed our first 1,000 autonomous miles across California, we’ve driven the length and breadth of the region, becoming intimately familiar with the many unique challenges of driving in San Francisco and the surrounding area.

This month, we’re recognizing Black History Month, an annual celebration of the experiences and contributions of Black and African Americans who have shaped and strengthened our country. This year, more than ever, we uphold the responsibility to recognize and highlight the importance of amplifying Black voices.

Earlier this month, we teamed up with Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX) to transport cookies for the annual Girl Scout Cookie Program with our Waymo Via truck fleet. Girl Scouts has long encouraged girls at every age and from all different backgrounds to explore science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields through their girl-centric programming. And at Waymo, we need a diverse group of people to develop the Waymo Driver and deliver on our mission, so we look for opportunities to open these dialogues with younger generations who will forge the future of autonomous driving technology.

Editor’s note: Last year, we opened up our fully autonomous ride-hailing service to all of our Waymo One riders, and Xavier is one of the people who relies on this service to get where he needs to go. He shared this video with us, and we gave him a call to learn more about how he likes the service and what it’s like to ride with Waymo, solo.

Editor’s note: This blog was originally published by Let's Talk Autonomous Driving on January 12, 2020.

Last year was a big one for us - we raised our first external investment round, we rolled out the 5th generation of our Waymo Driver and we opened Waymo One to the public, among other milestones. As we get started in the new year, we’ll have even more to share with you. And when we do, you’ll see us using more deliberate language, referring to our fully autonomous driving technology, and no longer referencing “self-driving.”