Alphabet's autonomous driving division, Waymo, defended its use of remote assistance personnel during a congressional hearing, stating that it has never used remote assistance to move robotaxis during operations on U.S. roads. Only in extremely rare cases have U.S. personnel prompted a vehicle to stop and move a short distance at low speed to exit a lane, and this has not occurred outside of training. Waymo stated that remote assistance personnel provide advisory support and do not directly control the vehicles. It operates remote assistance centers in Arizona, Michigan, and the Philippines, with approximately 70 assistance personnel available at any given time.
