Waymo just announced a new transit rewards program that incentivizes pairing robotaxi rides with public transit.
The transit rewards program is now available to Waymo employees in the San Francisco Bay Area, but it will open to the Bay Area public in a few weeks, according to the Google-owned autonomous rideshare company.
The program requires a Visa credit or debit tap-to-pay card (rival credit card Mastercard already offers transit incentives on most major U.S. systems, many of which already offer tap-to-pay in lieu of transit cards or tokens).
"To participate, riders will link their Visa card in the Waymo app," according to a statement from Waymo. "When riders in the SF Bay Area use their Visa card to take a Waymo trip and public transit within 2 hours of each other, we will automatically issue $2.85 in Waymo Cash, which is the cost of a bus fare in San Francisco." The Waymo Cash is loaded into the app and can be used for future robotaxi rides.
Over two dozen San Francisco Bay Area transit agencies are participating in Waymo's rewards program, according to the company.
In announcing the rewards, Waymo also stated the company is leasing 40 parking spots at stations within the Caltrain commuter system, which covers a wide swath of the Bay Area. Waymo vehicles will occupy the parking spots and be available to take riders from train stations to their destinations.
Waymo says that half of its riders in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Phoenix already use transit, and the program will encourage more ridership on buses and trains.
The new rewards program received the blessing of state transportation officials and San José Mayor Matt Mahan.
"San José has always believed innovation should make everyday life work better," Mahan said in a statement. "This partnership does exactly that by using new technology to strengthen public transit, not replace it, making regional travel more seamless and giving people more ways to get where they need to go."
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