The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that Waymo has opened its robotaxi service to anyone who wants a ride in Los Angeles, marking another milestone in the evolution of self-driving car technology since the company began as a secret project at Google 15 years ago. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says that now, anyone with the Waymo One smart phone app will be able to request a ride around a 129-square-kilometre territory spanning the second-largest U.S. city. After Waymo received approval from California regulators to charge for rides 15 months ago, the company initially chose to launch its operations in San Francisco before offering a limited service in Los Angeles. Before deciding to compete against conventional ride-hailing pioneers Uber and Lyft in California, Waymo unleashed its robotaxis in Phoenix in 2020 and has been steadily extending the reach of its service in that Arizona city ever since. Waymo says it now transports more than 150,000 weekly trips in its robotaxis. Rival player Tesla is aiming to launch its Cybercab service by 2026, but faces market skepticism. Another robotaxi service, Amazon's Zoox, is hoping to begin offering driverless rides to the general public in Las Vegas next year.