Waymo launches Robotaxi service in four additional US cities
Waymo previously announced its launch in the Texan cities of Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, as well as in the holiday destination Orlando, Florida, back in November. However, the simultaneous rollout across all four metropolitan areas comes as a surprise—Waymo had previously allowed itself significant intervals between launch dates. For example, nearly four years passed between the first launch in Phoenix in 2020 and the opening of the s econd operational area to all users in San Francisco in 2024. Following this, the pace of expansion accelerated with launches in Los Angeles, Austin and Atlanta, and most recently in Miami in January 2026.
“Waymo is serving more riders than ever, as we are on track to serve over one million rides per week by the end of this year,” said Tekedra Mawakana, Co-CEO of Waymo. “Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando are critical to our plans, as we lay groundwork for service in 20+ cities. Each community has its own unique charm and transportation needs, and we’re eager to provide a safe, reliable, and magical way for locals and visitors to travel.”
For now, however, the robotaxi service in the four new cities will not be available to everyone. Instead, selected users who have downloaded the Waymo app have received invitations for their first local ride. Waymo plans to gradually expand the user base until the service opens to the public later this year. This approach is likely intended to manage capacity and prevent overwhelming demand for the initially limited fleet.
The ability to launch in four cities simultaneously and expand to 20 new cities this year stems from Waymo’s significant improvements to its AI over time. The company has developed a “generalisable Driver” that serves as a base model capable of handling driving in major cities. Previously, the AI required painstaking retraining for each city, but local nuances—such as Houston’s extremely wide intersections or Orlando’s tourist flows—are now added as a “fine-tuning” layer. This significantly reduces the validation time required per city for Waymo.
Waymo states that its robotaxis have already covered over 200 million miles in fully autonomous operation and are contributing to improved road safety in the cities where they operate. According to its own studies, Waymo’s robotaxis are involved in accidents and serious incidents far less frequently than human-driven cars.
Just recently, the Google sister company completed a funding round of $16 billion for further expansion and reaffirmed its plans to launch in cities outside the USA for the first time this year, specifically in London and Tokyo.
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