Waymo CEO Says Alphabet Unit Plans to Launch Driverless Car Service in Coming Months

Waymo, which has been testing the program in the Phoenix area, has spent years and driven millions of miles to develop the technology

Waymo CEO John Krafcik discussed his company's plans to launch a paid driverless car service in Phoenix in the next two months. Krafcik spoke at the WSJ D. Live Tech conference in Laguna Beach, Calif., on Tuesday. Photo: Nikki Ritcher for the Wall Street Journal

Douglas MacMillan and

Tim Higgins

Nov. 13, 2018 1:55 p.m. ET

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.—The head of Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo unit said it plans to launch its first commercial self-driving car service in the next two months and expects businesses to be among its biggest customers.

Speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s WSJ Tech D.Live conference on Tuesday, Waymo’s John Krafcik said the new service will charge individual passengers for rides as well as businesses, such as Walmart Inc., who want to pay to shuttle their customers to stores. The service will initially be available to a small group...