As businesses like Waymo, the autonomous shoulder of Google’s parent Alphabet, develop into more towns, self-driving vehicles are gradually evolving into less sci-fi and more real-world. On Tuesday, the robotaxi services stretched into more sections of the San Francisco Bay Area, and it’ll also be extending its reach in Los Angeles this week. &nbsp,

Then, Bay Area users can hail a fully automatic Waymo walk in Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae and Burlingame via the Waymo One game, and find riders can entry Mountain View and more of Palo Alto and Menlo Park. And starting on Wednesday, LA residents can use the ride-hailing company in all of Sunset Boulevard, including Ladera Heights, Echo Park, Silver Lake, and Playa del Rey. They can also go directly from Mid-City to Inglewood and Westchester via La Cienega and La Brea, expanding Waymo’s LA County company area to over 120 square kilometers.

Waymo now offers fully autonomous trips for the general public in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas, which are done aboard the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace. It’s expanding its association with Uber by launching in&nbsp, Atlanta&nbsp, via the ride-share game after this time, and plans to begin providing rides in Washington, DC, and Miami starting in 2026. Waymo announced that it would start operating its cars there in April, making this the company’s primary overseas location.

Along with those launch, Waymo in January announced it would also start testing with personally driven cars in&nbsp, 10 novel cities&nbsp, this time, starting with Las Vegas and San Diego. Additionally, Waymo stated in April that it had reached a tentative agreement with Toyota to “explore a collaboration” aimed at creating autonomous driving technology, which might one day be integrated into privately owned vehicles as well. &nbsp,

Waymo’s growth includes its production facilities as well. In May, the organization on Monday said it’s opening a fresh, 239, 000-square-foot automatic car manufacturer in the Phoenix area. The company intends to increase its existing fleet to 2, 000 entirely autonomous Jaguar I-Pace cars. Importantly, Waymo indicated it received its “final supply from Jaguar” earlier this year, as it plans for future versions of its autonomous trips. With the all-electric Zeekr RT, Yamamo added that the “facility’s versatile style” will allow it to incorporate its upcoming, sixth-generation, self-driving technologies into new cars. &nbsp,

Waymo even announced in October that it would work with Hyundai to introduce the newest iteration of its systems to the Ioniq 5 SUVs. In the years to come, users will be able to conjure those all-electric, automatic cars using the Waymo One game. &nbsp,

Waymo says it provides more than 250, 000 paid trips each year. As odd as it can appear at first (especially when a steering wheel turns by itself ), I quickly modified and it immediately felt like an ordinary walk in San Francisco.

That’s not to suggest there hasn’t been pushback as Waymo rolls out to more places. The company’s cars have been involved in a number of well-known incidents, including one involving a bicyclist in San Francisco and another involving a pulled pickup truck in Phoenix. ( Waymo&nbsp, recalled and updated its software&nbsp, to address the issue. ) &nbsp,

Waymo’s Safety Impact report notes that over 71 million autonomous miles driven through March 2025, its Waymo Driver technology had 88 % fewer crashes leading to serious injuries or worse and 78 % fewer injury-causing crashes, compared to” an average human driver over the same distance in our operating cities”. Additionally, it reported significantly fewer crashes involving motorcyclists (86 % ), cyclists ( 81 % ), and pedestrians (83 % ).

As Waymo continues to expand and grow its self-driving software, here’s how and where to awaken the robotaxi if you happen to be in one of the few places where the corporation now operates its ship. &nbsp,

See this: Testing Waymo’s Safe Exit Feature in a Self-Driving Car

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Getting a walk in Phoenix

Phoenix was the first area to open up completely autonomous Google trips to the people, in 2020. Get the Waymo One app for iOS, Android, or to hail a drive on&nbsp. The company operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

You can also awaken one of Waymo’s automobiles in Phoenix using the Uber game. When you request an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric trip, you’ll have the choice to ensure a Waymo journey, if you’re matched. &nbsp,

In addition to hailing a trip, you may also include your Airbnb Swallows food delivered by an intelligent car. You may receive a notice that reads “autonomous vehicles may give your order” when you place an order in the Phoenix area. When the Waymo vehicle arrives, take your phone with you to roll open the trunk and get your supply. If you prefer to have a man give your food, you can choose out of this at the checkout.

Hailing a walk in the San Francisco Bay Area

San Francisco followed suit in late 2022 with fully automatic trips after Phoenix. It scrapped the waiting record in June 2024, but today people can download the Waymo One game to drive anywhere. The company is even available seven days a week, seven days a week, all day. There’s now no Uber agreement in San Francisco. &nbsp,

In August 2024, Waymo expanded its ride-hailing company into the San Francisco Peninsula, and expanded suddenly in March so that limited Waymo One users who live in Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto and pieces of Sunnyvale have the option to storm a robotaxi it, too. It expanded even further into the Peninsula in June, and its support place today includes Colma, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae, Burlingame, Daly City, Broadmoor, and Colma. Choose users can now also entry Mountain View and more components of Palo Alto and Menlo Park.

The California Public Utilities Commission approved Waymo’s program to work in South Bay and nearly all of San Jose in May, opening the door to further developments. &nbsp,

Getting a walk in Los Angeles County

In November, Waymo scrapped its list for Los Angeles and began welcoming all open users via the Waymo One game. Any serious people can now travel on the robotaxis 24/7 and travel through nearly 120 square yards of LA County, including Downtown LA, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Inglewood, Silver Lake, and Playa del Rey. &nbsp,

Getting a trip in Austin

In Austin, the only way to storm a Waymo drive is through Uber— no Waymo One game around. You could be matched with a Waymo auto by requesting an UberX, Uber Green, an Uber Comfort, or an Uber Comfort Electric, and you won’t be charged extra. If you’d rather not get a robotic trip, you’ll have the option to move to a common one. On the other hand, you can go to Account&nbsp, &gt, &nbsp, Settings &gt, &nbsp, Autonomous vehicles, and hit the toggle next to Get more Waymo rides if you want to increase your chances of being matched with a self-driving car.

Unlock the door, pop open the trunk and start the ride from the Uber app. You’ll still be asked to rate your ride at the end, but you won’t be asked to leave a tip.

If there are any issues, riders can access human support 24/7 via the Uber app and from inside the Waymo vehicle ( there are screens in the front and back that let you quickly summon customer support ).

According to the companies, Uber will manage tasks like vehicle cleaning and repair, while” Waymo will continue to be responsible for the testing and operation of the Waymo Driver, including roadside assistance and some rider support functions,” according to the companies. The collaboration should make autonomous rides accessible to more people, who now won’t have to download a separate app to hitch a ride in a robotaxi.

Waymo currently operates in 37 square miles of the city, with plans for further expansions.

Hailing a ride in Atlanta

Uber will soon allow Atlanta residents to hail a Waymo robotaxi, similar to Austin’s. The service is scheduled to launch in the summer but interested riders can join a waitlist to increase their chances of being matched with a Waymo vehicle once that option becomes available. &nbsp,

To join the Atlanta interest list, make sure your Uber app is up to date, then go to&nbsp, Account&nbsp, &gt, &nbsp, Settings&nbsp, and find&nbsp, Autonomous vehicles&nbsp, under the&nbsp, Ride&nbsp, Preferences&nbsp, menu. Then add your interest list to the list after clicking&nbsp.

Riders who join the interest list could have the chance to ride with Waymo before the public launch. They’ll receive notifications via email or in-app. &nbsp,

According to Uber, the service will expand to 65 square miles of Atlanta and have plans for more. You won’t have to pay more for a Waymo ride than you would for a standard UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric ride, and you’ll see upfront pricing in the app. You can start the journey and unlock the vehicle using the Uber app, and you will have access to human support 24/7 via the Uber app and inside the vehicle.

Coming soon: Washington, DC, Miami and Tokyo

Waymo intends to begin charging for rides in Washington, DC, in 2026 using its Waymo One app. The company &nbsp, returned to the nation’s capital&nbsp, in January to test its autonomous driving tech. It announced in late March that it would increase the city’s fleet and increase its vehicle traffic year-round. In a blog post, Waymo said it’ll” continue to work closely with policymakers to formalize the regulations needed to operate without a human behind the wheel in the District”.

Additionally, you’ll have to book a Waymo in Miami until 2026. The company has been&nbsp, conducting weather testing&nbsp, in the lead-up to that eventual rollout, noting in a&nbsp, blog post,” Our previous road trips to the Sunshine State’s challenging rainy conditions have been invaluable in advancing our autonomous driving capabilities”.

Waymo will work with Moove, a fintech company that offers car financing, first in Phoenix, where Moove will oversee the robotaxi’s fleet operations, facilities, and charging infrastructure. In Phoenix and then Miami,” Waymo will continue to offer our service through the Waymo One app, and remain responsible for validation and operation of the Waymo Driver”, the company said in a&nbsp, blog post.

The partnership between Waymo’s expansion into Tokyo and the Japanese taxi service Nihon Kotsu and the taxi app Go was announced in December. In April, the self-driving company shared that it’s finally ready to hit the road abroad.

Waymo claims that certified Nihon Kotsu drivers will manually drive its vehicles in seven Tokyo wards, including Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Ch, Shinagawa, and Kt. This will allow engineers to test and adapt Waymo’s autonomous driving tech to local road features and traffic. &nbsp,

” In Tokyo, we are abiding by the same steadfast principles that guide us in the US– commitment to safety, dedication to earning trust in communities where we operate, and collaboration with local officials and community groups here in Tokyo”, Nicole Gavel, Waymo’s head of business development and strategic partnerships, said in a statement.

When will Waymo’s self-driving riders be able to accompanies them in Tokyo?

The road ahead: Future vehicles

Waymo unveiled the sixth generation of its self-driving technology in August, which aims to expand the capabilities of its driverless fleet. Smarter sensors are meant to help the cars better navigate in extreme weather, Waymo said. The all-electric Zeekr vehicle, which has a flat floor, more head and legroom, adjustable seats, and a removable steering wheel and pedals, will welcome the sixth-generation Driver. The updated tech is still being tested but the company says it’ll be available to riders soon.

Waymo also announced a partnership with Hyundai in October to incorporate the all-electric Ioniq 5 SUV, which, according to a blog post,” will be added to the Waymo One fleet over time.” The companies added that they “plan to produce a fleet of Ioniq 5s equipped with Waymo’s technology in significant volume over multiple years to support Waymo One’s growing scale”. By the end of 2025, testing with these vehicles will begin, and they will be accessible “in the years to come.”

Currently, everyday riders can’t take a Waymo vehicle on highways and freeways but that may soon change. As seen in an exclusive video shared with CNET in May, the company is testing fully autonomous rides on Phoenix’s freeways. It’s also now making fully autonomous freeway rides available to Waymo employees in Los Angeles&nbsp, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Waymo is attempting to expand its autonomous driving technology into trucking, but it announced last year that it will focus on ride-hailing with Waymo One instead. It noted,” Our ongoing investment in advancing Waymo Driver capabilities, especially on freeways, will directly translate to trucking and benefit its development efforts”.