Dozens of city employees in Chandler will be able to use self-driving vehicles at work in partnership with Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company that has operated in the southeast Valley suburb for the past few years.

The city will evaluate whether use of the autonomous vehicles cut the city's costs to maintain and operate its vehicle fleet and boosts employee productivity while commuting to and from off-site work meetings.

The partnership will begin this month and last at least a year. The city has budgeted $30,000 for the program.

The announcement comes as Chandler unveils a new logo and tagline to market the city as the “innovation and technology hub of the Southwest.”

Chandler has been ground zero for autonomous-vehicle testing in metro Phoenix. Waymo, formerly known as the Google Self Driving Car Project, has been testing its autonomous vehicles in the area since 2016. Waymo has an operations center in Chandler and is opening a technical service center in Mesa this year.

“We’ve worked closely with Waymo for the past several years and it’s a natural progression to utilize their technology,” Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke said. “We’re proud to have another innovative first with this partnership to explore increased productivity and cost savings related to our motor pool fleet.”

Beginning with a few dozen employees

The partnership will allow employees who have meetings outside of City Hall to use the Waymo app to schedule a ride to meetings within the Waymo service area.

Work-related rides will be charged to employees’ purchasing cards, the city said.

Employees must take a rider survey and submit receipts to the city after every trip, the city said.

Several dozen employees will participate in the program, but a Waymo spokeswoman said the goal is to grow the program.

“We’re thrilled that city employees will now be able to ride in Waymo vehicles to get around for work,” said Dezbah Hatathli, policy and community manager for Waymo in Chandler. “Our hope is that this collaboration allows the city to realize its goal of reducing its vehicle fleet and lowering costs.”

The Waymo partnership is the first of its kind with a city government, but not the company’s first partnership with a government in metro Phoenix.

Valley Metro and Waymo launched a partnership in July 2018 to get transit riders from their home or work to the nearest light-rail or bus station. The two-year pilot program began with a controlled group of Valley Metro and Phoenix employees who live in the southeast Valley.

Chandler pushes its tech credentials

On Thursday, the Chandler City Council approved minor changes to the city’s logo and a new tagline as part of a rebranding effort launched earlier this year.

The new tagline, “Community of Innovation,” seeks to cement the city’s hold on the technology industry in the East Valley.

Chandler, with a population of just more than 250,000, touts a number of jobs in the technology sector, from semiconductor manufacturing to the aerospace and defense technology industry.

The new moniker replaces the previous tagline, “Where Values Make a Difference,” which was created 30 years ago.

As for the logo, the words “Chandler Arizona” were moved to the right of the city’s iconic logo – a “C" with the silhouette of the San Tan Mountains, buildings that represent the city’s development into an employment corridor and fields representing the city’s agricultural roots. The size and font were also changed.

The changes will be rolled out in August, but the city only plans to replace flags and decals on city buildings or vehicles as they are replaced.

Reach reporter Paulina Pineda at paulina.pineda@azcentral.com or 602-444-8130. Follow her on Twitter: @paulinapineda22.

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