Get to know Austin

Welcome Formula 1 fans: Let ATXConcierge.com show you a good time in Austin

Explore Austin with atxconcierge.com [http://atxconcierge.com] on your mobiledevice.
Real to Reel
www.atxconcierge.com
Veronica Castelo
www.atxconcierge.com
Veronica Castelo
www.atxconcierge.com
Veronica Castelo

It's clear, based on the insane downtown traffic and the growing number of people with European accents ordering coffee at Austin Java, that many of the 300,000 visitors from around the world expected to spend Formula 1 weekend in the Capital City are already here.

Over the next four days Austin is expected to transform into a hot spot for the incredibly wealthy with luxurious parties, high fashion and fast cars. But let's remember one thing: Underneath the glitz and glam flying into a helipad near you is a city bursting with energy, culture, live music, art and so much more.

ATXConcierge.com, is a easy-to-use mobile site that will serve as a pilot project for future marketing ideas to boost Austin's cultural tourism.

The City's Cultural Arts Division hopes visitors get a taste for the real Austin while they're here. In fact, they created ATXConcierge.com to help people get to know Austin.

"ATX Concierge.com was developed around the Formula One race event to explore a new platform for showcasing Austin's unique offerings, specifically focused on arts and cultural events taking place across the city," said Megan Crigger, City of Austin Cultural Arts Program Manager.

ATXConcierge.com, powered by CultureMap, is an easy-to-use mobile site accessible on any mobile platform. The mobile site highlights gallery and museum exhibitions, theater and dance performances and will serve as a pilot project for future marketing ideas to boost Austin's cultural tourism. Perhaps the most useful feature is the city guide, which uses geo location to guide visitors to food, art, shopping, spas and other attractions located near them.

"In partnership with CultureMap, the site celebrates all that makes Austin unique, while providing yet another opportunity to expose Austin's creatives to the world," Crigger said.

The hope is that between the fast cars and clinking champagne glasses visitors will log on to atxconciege.com to find and visit all the places that make Austin the city we all call home.

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Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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