The city of Chandler, Arizona recently announced plans to launch an autonomous vehicle ride-hailing program for select city employees, in partnership with Waymo.

Expected to last for at least one year, the program will be used to evaluate the productivity of employees as they commute to and from off-site work meetings, as well as the potential fleet services cost savings.

“We’ve worked closely with Waymo for the past several years and it’s a natural progression to utilize their technology,” says Mayor Kevin Hartke.

“We’re proud to have another innovative first with this partnership to explore increased productivity and cost savings related to our motor pool fleet.”

The program will initially involve several dozen employees that can use the Waymo app to schedule a ride within the Waymo service area when they have an off-site work meeting.

An autonomous vehicle designated pick-up and drop-off spot will be created at Chandler City Hall, with the help of current improvements on Arizona Avenue, the city notes.  

Employees will be required to complete a rider survey after every trip, and will also have to submit receipts via email, as all work-related rides will be charged to their purchasing card.

The launch of this program for Chandler employees comes in close proximity to another announcement involving Waymo, as CNBC recently reported that Waymo is now making some of its self-driving minivans available for Lyft customers in a small area just outside of Phoenix where it has been testing its technology.