Why Waymo's New Program Incentivises Users To Take Public Transit

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Ever wanted to get paid for taking public transit? Waymo is making that possible, kind of.

The company responsible for its fleet of self-driving vehicles is launching a new program called "Waymo cash" that will give users money back for taking public transit.

Data from recent surveys show that 50% of Waymo riders in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix use some form of public transit to get around, according to the company.

"Shared mobility is a team effort, and our autonomous ride-hailing service helps expand clean transportation options for everyone," Waymo Head of Sustainability & Environment Adam Lenz said. "We’re thrilled to partner with local transit agencies to fill multimodal gaps and make daily commutes easier through our new transit rewards program."

The first-of-its-kind program is simple. Riders must link their Visa card in the Waymo app and use it to take an autonomous vehicle and public transit within two hours of each other, the company said in a statement earlier this month.

The app will then automatically issue $2.85 in Waymo cash, the cost of bus fare in San Francisco, back to the user, according to the company.

The program will start with employees but will gradually roll out to the public in the coming weeks, according to Waymo.

"Our goal is to expand this transit rewards program and transit agency partnerships to more cities over time, ultimately making shared, all-electric transportation more accessible and affordable for everyone," Waymo said.