As businesses like Waymo, the autonomous shoulder of Google’s family Alphabet, develop into more places, self-driving vehicles are gradually evolving into less sci-fi and more real-world . On Thursday, the firm extended into more pieces of Austin, Texas, so it now drives across 90 sq miles of the city. The city has plans for more development, with over 100 Waymo cars in it.  ,
Waymo now offers fully autonomous trips for the general public in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, which are done aboard the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace. The cars can get summoned either via the Waymo One apps or Uber, depending on the town. Beginning in 2026, Waymo intends to start supplying excursions in Washington, D.C., and Miami. In April, it said it’ll start driving its cars on Tokyo’s roads, making this the organization ‘s , first global location.
Waymo’s cars also made their way to the streets of , New York City earlier this month, where the business will begin mechanically gathering driving information. It’s also rolling out a restricted fleet of cars with human individuals in , Philadelphia. The goal is to improve its technology and, perhaps, eventually, increase its ride-hailing support to those cities.
In January, Waymo announced it would start testing with personally driven cars in , 10 novel cities , this time, starting with Las Vegas and San Diego. And in April, it claimed to have “explored a collaboration” with Toyota that would allow it to incorporate autonomous driving technology into privately owned automobiles.  ,
Waymo’s rise includes both its manufacturing facilities and its manufacturing. In May, the organization said it’s opening a novel, 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 introduction of the all-electric Zeekr RT, Waymo added that the “facility’s versatile style” will allow it to incorporate its upcoming and sixth-generation, self-driving technologies into new cars.  ,
Waymo even announced in October that it is working 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.  ,
The self-driving firm says it provides more than 250, 000 paid visits each week and inspires across more than 700 square miles across the US. 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 bank’s vehicles have been involved in a few well-known incidents, including one involving a bicyclist in San Francisco and one involving a hauled pickup truck in Phoenix. ( Waymo , recalled and updated its software , to address the issue. )  ,
Waymo’s Safety Impact report notes that over the course of 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 with” 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.  ,
See this: Testing Waymo’s Safe Exit Feature in a Self-Driving Car
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Getting a trip 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 . 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.  ,
In addition to hailing a trip, you may also include your Airbnb Swallows food delivered by an intelligent vehicles. 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 meals, you can choose out of this at the time of 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. Additionally, the company is available seven days a week and is available 24 hours a day. There’s now no Uber agreement in San Francisco.  ,
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. Find 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.  ,
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 walk through nearly 120 square kilometers of LA County, including Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Inglewood, Silver Lake, Playa del Rey, Ladera Heights, Echo Park, Downtown LA, and along all of Sunset Boulevard.  ,
In Los Angeles, there isn’t a current Uber agreement.
Hailing a walk in Austin
Users can hail a Waymo from Austin’s 90 square miles, including places like Crestview, Windsor Park, and Franklin Park, as well as places like The Domain and McKinney Falls State Park.
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 car 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 , >,  , Settings>,  , 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. At the end, you’ll still be asked to rate your ride, but you won’t be tipping.
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,” Waymo will continue to be responsible for the testing and operation of the Waymo Driver, including roadside assistance and some rider support functions,” while Uber will manage tasks like vehicle cleaning and repair. 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.
Getting a ride in Atlanta
Waymo operates across 65 square miles of Atlanta, with plans for future expansions. You can only climb aboard a Waymo robotaxi using the Uber app, like in Austin. When you book a ride through UberX, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric, you might be paired with a Waymo vehicle at no additional cost. Each time, you have the option to accept or reject the driverless ride.  ,
The Uber app and touchscreens inside the car allow you to access human support 24/7, as well as unlock the vehicle, pop the trunk, and begin the journey.
If you want to boost your chances of being paired with a Waymo vehicle, you can opt in by going to the Uber app, tapping , Account , >,  , Settings , >,  , Autonomous vehicles , ( under Ride Preferences ), and then hitting the toggle next to , Get more Waymo rides.
upcoming expansions ,
New York City
After having first manually operated its vehicles there in 2021, Waymo announced plans to return its autonomous technology to New York City in June. It’ll once again start by driving manually in the Big Apple, as it waits to hear about its permit application with the New York City Department of Transportation to operate autonomously with a human behind the wheel. Although Waymo claims it plans to expand its ride-hailing service to New York City in the future, it is not yet done.
Existing laws in the state of New York don’t permit the same fully autonomous ride-hailing service that companies like Waymo offer in other parts of the country. We have every intention of introducing our fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the city in the future,” says Waymo, “advocating for a change in state law that would allow for operating a vehicle without a human behind the wheel.”
In early July, Waymo began manually operating its vehicles in Manhattan, parts of Downtown Brooklyn, Jersey City and Hoboken. Waymo claims that it can drive autonomously in New York City while having a specialist behind the wheel if NYCDOT approves the company’s application.
Philadelphia
Waymo said in July that it’s bringing a limited fleet of its vehicles to” the most complex parts” of Philadelphia, “including downtown and freeways”. As the business continues to expand its driving capabilities, human drivers will be operating in these vehicles. There are no immediate plans to launch a robotaxi service there.
Washington, D.C.
Waymo plans to start offering rides through its Waymo One app in Washington, D.C., in 2026. The company returned to the nation’s capital in January to test its autonomous driving tech. In late March, it said it was bringing more vehicles to the city and working to scale its service throughout the year. 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.”
Miami
You’ll also have to wait until 2026 to ride a Waymo in Miami. In the run-up to that eventual rollout, the company has been testing weather and is reporting in a  blog post that “our prior road trips to the Sunshine State’s challenging rainy conditions have been invaluable in advance of our autonomous driving capabilities.”
Waymo will collaborate with Moove, a fintech company that offers vehicle financing, first in Phoenix, where Moove will manage the robotaxi’s fleet operations, facilities and charging infrastructure. Waymo will continue to offer our service through the Waymo One app in Phoenix and then Miami, according to the company’s announcement in a , blog post.
Tokyo
Waymo’s expansion into Tokyo, which was announced in December, is happening in partnership with Japanese taxi service Nihon Kotsu and taxi app Go. The self-driving company announced in April that it is finally prepared to travel abroad.
Waymo says trained Nihon Kotsu drivers will manually drive its vehicles across seven Tokyo wards, including Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chūō, Shinagawa and Kōtō. This will enable engineers to test and adapt Waymo’s autonomous driving technology to local traffic and road characteristics.  ,
Nicole Gavel, Waymo’s head of business development and strategic partnerships, said in a statement that” 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.
It’s not clear when riders will be able to hitch a self-driving ride with Waymo in Tokyo.
The road ahead: Towards the future
In August, Waymo unveiled the , sixth generation of its self-driving technology, which strives to expand the capabilities of its driverless fleet. According to Waymo, smarter sensors are intended to aid car navigation in extreme weather. The sixth-gen Driver will come aboard the all-electric Zeekr vehicle, which features a flat floor, more head- and legroom, adjustable seats and a removable steering wheel and pedals. The company claims that the updated technology will soon be accessible to riders, despite the company’s ongoing testing.
In October, Waymo also announced a partnership with Hyundai to integrate its sixth-generation Driver into the all-electric Ioniq 5 SUV, which, according to a blog post,” will be added to the Waymo One fleet over time”. The businesses added that they “plan to produce a fleet of Ioniq 5s in significant numbers over the course of several years to support Waymo One’s growing scale.” Testing with these vehicles will start by late 2025 and become available “in the years to follow”.
On highways and freeways, regular riders are currently unable to drive a Waymo vehicle. However, that may change soon. The company is testing fully autonomous rides on , freeways in Phoenix, as seen in an exclusive video shared with CNET in May. Additionally, Waymo employees in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area are now able to purchase fully autonomous freeway rides from the company.
Waymo is working to expand its autonomous driving tech into trucking as well, but it said last year that it’s scaling back those efforts for the time being, to focus on ride-hailing with Waymo One. It stated that” Our ongoing investment in advancing Waymo Driver capabilities, especially on freeways, will directly translate to trucking and benefit its development efforts.”
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