Google’s self-driving robotaxi arm Waymo has started testing in Portland, Oregon.

The company is working with state and city officials, as well as community partners, to create a regulatory path to deployment as it lays the groundwork for a future service.

Last month, it started manually driving its vehicles to help familiarise the Waymo Driver with Portland’s distinct streetscapes, from its iconic bridges to its bustling, rain-slicked corridors. By following a rigorous safety framework, it aims eventually to provide lifelong residents and first-time visitors with a safe, reliable and stress-free way to move through the city.

The Waymo Driver is the firm’s self-driving vehicle technology, built on a foundation of safety, demonstrating a 13x reduction in serious injury crashes in cities where it operates. Bringing Waymo to Portland means supporting the city’s vision zero goals to eliminate traffic fatalities.

“As a green transportation leader of one of the safest trucking companies in America, I’ve seen first hand how emerging technology can transform safety for all road users,” said Keith Wilson, the mayor of Portland. “We need every tool to help us meet our vision zero goals, and autonomous technology plays an increasingly important role in providing a safe, thriving, affordable multimodal transportation system.”

Before Waymo Driver begins operating in a new area, it first maps the territory with details such as lane markers, stop signs, kerbs and crosswalks. Then, instead of relying solely on external data such as GPS which can lose signal strength, it uses these detailed custom maps, matched with real-time sensor data and AI, to determine its exact road location at all times.

The move is being supported by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD.

“The mission of MADD is to make roadways safe for everyone and key to that mission is ending impaired driving once and for all,” said Candace Reid, programme director at MADD (madd.org). “The safe deployment of autonomous vehicles can play a critical role in preventing individuals from making the illegal and often deadly decision to drive while impaired. That’s why we’re very excited about Waymo’s coming to Portland. MADD has been a long-time partner with Waymo and we are proud of our shared commitment to protect drivers, passengers, pedestrians and the community from impaired driving.”

For more about Waymo, go to waymo.com.