AIBRIEF
Waymo and the Las Vegas Raiders are setting up a dedicated autonomous pickup and drop off zone at Allegiant Stadium, but public Las Vegas rides have not started yet.
Waymo and the Las Vegas Raiders announced Wednesday that they are setting up a dedicated autonomous pickup and drop-off zone at Allegiant Stadium for NFL games, UNLV games, concerts, and other major events. The Raiders called it the first autonomous ride-hailing partnership at the venue. Waymo will run event-specific routing plans and keep a 24/7 operations team on hand to manage demand on game days.
The pickup area will sit within a short walk of the stadium. Raiders President Sandra Douglass Morgan framed the arrangement as giving fans "a safe, reliable autonomous designated driver" for the post-game trip home.
Waymo's public Las Vegas service has not started. The company said last month it was launching autonomous operations in the city with employees only, and it has not named a public-launch date. Until that changes, no fan can actually book a Waymo to or from a Raiders game.
Neither Waymo nor the Raiders said when the Allegiant zone would open to fans, or whether the deal prevents other robotaxi operators from running event-day service at the stadium. Waymo is a subsidiary of Alphabet.