Self-driving cars, once a futuristic dream, are increasingly becoming a reality on today’s roads, thanks to pioneering companies like Waymo, the autonomous vehicle division of Alphabet, Google’s parent company. Recently, Waymo announced a significant expansion of its fully autonomous driving service, doubling the number of cities where its vehicles operate without a human safety driver behind the wheel. This move underscores the company’s growing confidence in its technology and signals a broader push toward making autonomous vehicle services accessible to more people across the United States.
### Current Operations and New City Expansions
As of now, Waymo offers fully autonomous ride-hailing services to the general public in five U.S. cities: Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Austin, Texas. These rides are provided using an all-electric fleet primarily composed of Jaguar I-Pace vehicles equipped with Waymo’s self-driving technology. Depending on the city, passengers can summon these vehicles either through the dedicated Waymo app or via Uber’s platform, reflecting strategic partnerships designed to streamline access to autonomous rides.
On Tuesday, Waymo announced it will begin operating fully autonomous vehicles in five additional cities: Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando. Initially, these rides will be available only to employees as part of testing phases, with plans to open the service to the public next year. The rollout began in Miami and will extend to the other cities in the coming weeks. This expansion is part of a broader acceleration in Waymo’s commercial rollout efforts, which have intensified over the past several months.
### Accelerating Commercial Expansion and New Vehicle Deployments
Waymo’s recent growth includes launching service in three more cities—Las Vegas, San Diego, and Detroit—planned for public availability in 2026. In these new locations, Waymo will deploy not only its established Jaguar I-Pace vehicles but also introduce the newer Zeekr RT electric vehicles. These Zeekr RTs come equipped with Waymo’s sixth-generation self-driving technology, which promises enhanced capabilities such as improved handling of complex driving conditions and extreme weather.
In addition to expanding its operational footprint, Waymo is also scaling up manufacturing to support its growing fleet. In May, the company opened a state-of-the-art, 239,000-square-foot factory near Phoenix to produce more autonomous vehicles. The facility will accommodate the production of approximately 2,000 additional Jaguar I-Pace units, complementing the existing 1,500-vehicle fleet. It is also designed to integrate future vehicle models with Waymo’s latest self-driving technology, starting with the Zeekr RT.
Waymo has forged partnerships with major automakers to develop and deploy its autonomous technology in new vehicle models. For example, last October, it announced a collaboration with Hyundai to incorporate its sixth-generation self-driving system into the all-electric Ioniq 5 SUV. Testing of these vehicles is set to begin by late 2025, with plans to add them to the Waymo One fleet in the following years. Similarly, Waymo is exploring a partnership with Toyota to co-develop autonomous driving tech, potentially expanding the technology’s reach into personally owned vehicles in the future.
### Safety Record and Public Reception
Waymo reports having driven over 100 million fully autonomous miles on public roads and provided more than 10 million paid rides. While the idea of driverless cars can initially feel unsettling—such as seeing a steering wheel turn on its own—many riders quickly adapt and find the experience comparable to a traditional ride.
Despite these advancements, Waymo’s rollout has not been without challenges. The company’s vehicles have been involved in several high-profile collisions, including incidents involving a bicyclist in San Francisco and a towed pickup truck in Phoenix. In response, Waymo issued recalls and software updates to address these issues.
Nevertheless, Waymo’s data paints a promising picture of safety. According to its Safety Impact Report, over 71 million autonomous miles driven through March 2025, Waymo’s technology resulted in 88% fewer serious injury crashes and 78% fewer injury-causing crashes compared with human drivers over the same distances and in similar areas. It also reported significantly fewer crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. This data underscores the potential of autonomous systems to improve road safety substantially.
### How to Ride a Waymo Robotaxi Today
For those interested in experiencing autonomous rides, here is a breakdown of how to access Waymo’s services in cities where they