Waymo adding more cars, pickup locations in Orlando

Make way for more Waymo's driverless car company just announced it's doubling its service area here in Orlando. So buckle up because Fox 35's Matt Trezza has more here. They're everywhere. Waymo's driverless taxis have been hitting central Florida streets. You'll see them in a lot more places to the company's expanding their service in the Orlando area. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer says he's pleased. Waymo is going to be expanding their geographical footprint. here in our community. So I think that's great. It's important. The autonomous vehicles will be operating in an area double the size before about 120 square miles. The company ran tests for about six months in Orlando before launching the service this past February. Dyer says he sees a bright future for driverless vehicles. I think autonomous vehicles are going to continue to grow both in the area of providing taxi type of service or lift type of services, but also for everyday commuters. Waymo's expanded service now covers more of downtown, College Park, Belle Isle, Taft, and Meadow Woods. Professor Yasser Fallah specializes in autonomous vehicles at UCF. I believe that first it kind of shows that they're getting positive feedback and basically what they want from their deployment in central Florida. The company says their data shows that in cities they currently serve, Waymo vehicles are involved in 11 times fewer serious injury collisions compared to human drivers. Fallah says he's confident in their safety. If you asked me five years ago, I would be skeptical of actually or basically hesitant to be in an autonomous vehicle. Today, I'm not. People we spoke with had mixed opinions about the self-driving cabs. I haven't heard of any crazy accidents or anything yet, so I know they're reliable. Maybe try it in the future. Personally, I'd rather use real taxi drivers and just have that real human connection. Dyer says along with expanding their footprint, Waymo will also be adding more vehicles to their fleet in the city. Matt Trezza, Fox 35 News.