Waymo to broaden US robotaxi footprint with moves into Minneapolis, Tampa, New Orleans
Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, is expanding its robotaxi operations to Minneapolis, Tampa, and New Orleans. The company will start with human-driven vehicles, following a phased approach used in other cities. Waymo is the only U.S. operator offering paid robotaxi services without safety drivers. This expansion highlights the competitive race in autonomous driving, with rivals like Tesla and Amazon's Zoox also investing heavily. Waymo recently began fully autonomous operations in Miami and plans to expand to other cities for employees before a public launch in 2026.
Nov 20 (Reuters) - Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) Waymo will expand its robotaxi operations to Minneapolis, Tampa and New Orleans in the coming days, the ride-hailing service provider said on Thursday, as it accelerates the broad rollout of its services in the U.S.
The company said it will begin operations in the new markets with human-driven vehicles, following a phased playbook it has used in its existing public-service cities.
This approach typically starts with detailed mapping and data collection, followed by supervised autonomous testing, restricted public access and, eventually, fully driverless rides.
Waymo, which Alphabet carved out of Google’s self-driving car project in 2016, is the only operator in the U.S. offering paid robotaxi services with no safety drivers or in-vehicle attendants. It fields a fleet of more than 1,500 vehicles.
With Tesla (TSLA.O) , Amazon.com’s (AMZN.O) Zoox and other rivals investing heavily in autonomous driving, Waymo’s latest push highlights an intensifying race to bring fully self-driving vehicles to market.
Safety, performance, technology maturity and cooperation with regulators are emerging as key battlegrounds in that contest, as companies vie for future market share.
Waymo on Tuesday began operating fully autonomous vehicles in Miami and announced its plans to roll out operations for its employees in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando in the coming weeks, ahead of a public launch for riders in 2026.
