Waymo

Coverage of Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous vehicle subsidiary.

Waymo Adds Nearly 250 Square Miles to Its Robotaxi Service in Five U.S. Cities

The company says the larger maps in Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego and the Bay Area will roll out over the next week, reaching places like Torrance, La Jolla and a BART station in San Jose.

Sam Okonkwo, Robotaxi · Oct. 27, 2026

A Waymo Ojai robotaxi, the model Waymo runs in Las Vegas, crosses Mission Street in San Francisco in July 2026. File photo.

Waymo Begins Driverless Rides to and From the Las Vegas Airport

Airport trips are limited at first to existing Waymo riders in Las Vegas, with pickups at Terminals 1 and 3, as Zoox, Tesla and Uber line up their own robotaxis in the city.

Sam Okonkwo, Robotaxi · Oct. 22, 2026

A Waymo Jaguar I-Pace parked on Carlton House Terrace in London in April 2026. File photo.

Waymo Plans to Launch Driverless Rides in Madrid in 2027

The Alphabet unit says its electric Jaguars will start driving in the Madrid region within days, first with people at the wheel, ahead of a fully autonomous service it hopes to open to riders next year. It is Waymo's first market in Spain.

Harper Quinn, Live desk · Oct. 20, 2026

A Waymo Ojai robotaxi on Mission Street in San Francisco in 2026. File photo.

Waymo Plans to Grow Its Fleet to 20,000 Robotaxis by End of 2027, Report Says

The Alphabet unit wants 8,000 vehicles on the road by the end of this year, up from about 4,000, and plans to pay for the growth with the $5 billion it borrowed this month, Semafor reported. Waymo declined to comment.

Sam Okonkwo, Robotaxi · Oct. 20, 2026

A Waymo Jaguar I-Pace robotaxi in San Francisco in November 2023. File photo.

Waymo Plans First Canada Robotaxi Service in Toronto for 2028

The company said it will begin manual mapping drives in Toronto in the coming days with Element Fleet Management as fleet partner, aiming to welcome its first riders in 2028.

Sam Okonkwo, Robotaxi · Oct. 16, 2026

A Waymo test vehicle, with a person in the driver's seat, in downtown Minneapolis in February 2026. File photo.

Minneapolis Council Fails to Override Mayor's Veto of Rule Requiring Humans in Robotaxis

The 7-5 vote fell two short of the nine needed to revive Workers Drive Minneapolis, which would have put a paid monitor in the driver's seat of every driverless ride. Its authors say they are starting over.

Priya Nair, Safety · Oct. 15, 2026

Waymo Opens Driverless Rides to Anyone in San Antonio, San Diego and Tampa

Anyone can now hail a fully autonomous Waymo in the three cities with no waitlist, including trips to San Antonio International Airport, the company said Wednesday.

Sam Okonkwo, Robotaxi · Oct. 15, 2026

A Waymo Jaguar I-Pace robotaxi crosses the Fourth Street Bridge in San Francisco in May 2025. File photo.

Waymo Begins Driverless Rides to and From Nashville International Airport

Pickups and drop-offs started Tuesday for a limited group of riders, making Nashville the fifth airport Waymo serves. The company says it will open airport trips to all riders gradually.

Sam Okonkwo, Robotaxi · Oct. 14, 2026

A Waymo Jaguar I-Pace test vehicle crosses the Mihara-bashi intersection in Tokyo's Ginza district in June 2026. File photo.

Tokyo Police to Set Up Japan's First Unit for Self-Driving Permits and Crash Investigations

The Metropolitan Police Department plans to open an autonomous driving office next spring to vet Level 4 permit applications and investigate crashes, ahead of a planned 2027 launch of driverless taxis in the capital by Waymo and its Japanese partners.

Kenji Watanabe, Asia desk · Oct. 13, 2026

A white Waymo Jaguar I-Pace test vehicle with roof-mounted sensors on Northumberland Avenue in central London in June 2026. File photo.

London Assembly Committee Asks Ministers to Let TfL License and Cap Robotaxis

A Transport Committee report says it has not heard enough evidence that London should welcome driverless taxi services, and wants Transport for London to issue, condition and withdraw permits once fuller national rules arrive in 2027.

Priya Nair, Safety · Oct. 12, 2026

A Waymo robotaxi built on a Zeekr van at Waymo's Bayshore depot in December 2025. File photo.

Waymo Closes $5 Billion Loan, Its First Debt Financing

PIMCO, Blackstone and Sixth Street led the term loan, which grew from a target of more than $3 billion. Waymo says the money will speed its driverless ride-hailing expansion in the United States and abroad.

Sam Okonkwo, Robotaxi · Oct. 8, 2026

A Waymo Jaguar I-Pace robotaxi on Potrero Street in San Francisco in 2025. Waymo began fully driverless operations in Detroit on Tuesday. File photo.

Waymo Begins Fully Driverless Operations in Detroit, With Rides Open Only to Employees

The cars now drive downtown and in nearby neighborhoods with no one behind the wheel. Waymo says public riders will follow once it has validated the technology in the city.

Sam Okonkwo, Robotaxi · Oct. 7, 2026

A Waymo Jaguar I-Pace robotaxi in San Francisco in 2023. Waymo opened its driverless service in Denver to the public on Sept. 1. File photo.

Denver Police Cannot Ticket Driverless Waymos, and a Colorado Lawmaker Plans a Bill to Change That

Colorado's 2017 autonomous vehicle law gives officers no way to cite a car with no one behind the wheel. State Rep. Jenny Willford says she will bring a bill in the 2027 session.

Priya Nair, Safety · Oct. 6, 2026

A Waymo Jaguar I-Pace robotaxi crosses the cable car tracks on California Street in San Francisco.

San Francisco Will Block Robotaxi Pickups Along Its Northern Waterfront During Fleet Week

The geofence, in force from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday, also bars driverless ride service from the Presidio. Uber, Lyft and taxis face no such limits.

Sam Okonkwo, Robotaxi · Oct. 6, 2026

Riders check the Lyft app beside a Waymo vehicle in an image Lyft released for the Nashville launch.

Lyft Opens Nashville Depot Built to Charge and Service Hundreds of Waymo Robotaxis

The 80,000-square-foot site near the airport, run by Lyft's Flexdrive unit, is set to begin receiving Waymo vehicles on Oct. 12.

Sam Okonkwo, Robotaxi · Oct. 4, 2026

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks at a news conference in Minneapolis in 2023. File photo.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Vetoes Ordinance Requiring Human Monitors in Robotaxis

Frey called the council's Workers Drive Minneapolis measure a back door ban, a day after it passed 7-6. Supporters need nine votes to override him.

Priya Nair, Safety · Oct. 4, 2026

A Waymo Jaguar I-Pace robotaxi on the Embarcadero in San Francisco in January 2026. File photo.

California Law Will Penalize Robotaxi Companies Whose Vehicles Block First Responders

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 1246, which requires U.S.-based remote drivers and on-call local incident technicians for driverless fleets starting July 1, 2028.

Harper Quinn, Live desk · Oct. 4, 2026

A white Waymo robotaxi on a city street at a crosswalk.

Waymo Opens Driverless Freeway Rides to Uber Passengers in Austin

Waymo has begun offering fully autonomous freeway rides in Austin to passengers who book through Uber, expanding a service that until now was limited to surface streets in the Texas capital.

Sam Okonkwo, Robotaxi · Sept. 24, 2026

A white Waymo robotaxi on a palm-lined street.

Steel City Shift: Waymo Now Drives Itself in Pittsburgh With Safety Drivers Still Onboard

Waymo said its vehicles are now driving fully autonomously on Pittsburgh roads with a trained safety technician still in the driver's seat, a step beyond the manual mapping runs that began late last year.

Sam Okonkwo, Robotaxi · Sept. 20, 2026

A Waymo Jaguar I-PACE on a U.S. street, used to illustrate the Singapore fleet.

Southeast Asia Opens: Waymo Targets Singapore Robotaxis by 2028

Alphabet's Waymo said it will bring fully autonomous, all-electric ride-hailing to Singapore in 2028, its first Southeast Asia market, after Jaguar I-PACE vehicles arrive for mapping and monsoon-readiness work.

Kenji Watanabe, Asia desk · Sept. 18, 2026

A white Waymo-branded Hyundai Ioniq 5 robotaxi.

Hyundai to Build Tens of Thousands of Ioniq 5s for Waymo in Georgia

Hyundai Motor CEO Jose Muñoz said the automaker will mass-produce tens of thousands of Ioniq 5 robotaxis for Waymo at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Georgia, with the first vehicles destined for more than testing due in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Sam Okonkwo, Robotaxi · Sept. 17, 2026

Back From the Flood: Waymo Restarts San Antonio Rides With Water-Avoidance Upgrades

Waymo has restarted paid robotaxi service in San Antonio five months after a flash flood swept an empty vehicle off the road, with software and map changes aimed at standing water, TechCrunch and local outlets reported.

Sam Okonkwo, Robotaxi · Sept. 17, 2026

Waymo Firefly reference vehicle (no steering wheel or pedals).

No Wheel Needed: A Blind Rider Took the World's First Fully Driverless Trip

Did you know the world's first fully driverless ride on public roads was taken by a passenger who could not see the road at all?

Harper Quinn, Live desk · Sept. 17, 2026

A blue Wayve-branded autonomous vehicle on a city street.

From Waymo's Books to Wayve's Bet: Ex-CFO Elisa de Martel Joins $8.5B Startup

Wayve named former Waymo chief financial officer Elisa de Martel as CFO, as the London startup moves from testing toward robotaxi and passenger-vehicle deployment.

Harper Quinn, Live desk · Sept. 16, 2026

Waymo roof sensor on a city street with Waymo and Allianz logos.

Risk Partners: Waymo Brings Allianz Into Its Europe Robotaxi Build

Allianz Partners will handle fleet insurance, digital claims and safety research for Waymo's London and Munich expansion, the companies said.

Priya Nair, Safety · Sept. 16, 2026

A Waymo Jaguar I-PACE autonomous taxi on a Tokyo street during public-road testing.

Tokyo's First Empty Cab: Waymo Aims for Driverless Taxis in 2027

Alphabet’s Waymo, Japanese taxi-app operator GO, and taxi company Nihon Kotsu said they aim to launch Japan’s first fully autonomous commercial taxi service in Tokyo in 2027.

Kenji Watanabe, Asia desk · Sept. 15, 2026

A Waymo Jaguar I-PACE robotaxi on a wet night street, rain on the windshield, LiDAR dome on the roof.

Rain Check: Viral Waymo Storm Clip Revives Musk’s LiDAR Dig

A rain-slick Waymo clip paired with Elon Musk's old line that LiDAR scatters in precipitation is circulating again as Waymo opens in wet markets and Tesla posts its own storm videos.

Priya Nair, Safety · Sept. 15, 2026

A white Waymo Ojai robotaxi on a palm-lined street, with no driver in the front seat.

High Rollers, Empty Front Seat: Waymo Opens Public Robotaxis on the Strip

Waymo has begun to open its robotaxi service to the public in Las Vegas, inviting riders on a rolling basis a few weeks after Nevada transportation regulators gave final approval.

Sam Okonkwo, Robotaxi · Sept. 14, 2026