Overview
- Waymo will begin manual driving in Minneapolis, Tampa and New Orleans in the coming days as it maps and validates routes before testing autonomous operations.
- Fully driverless trips for employees are now running in Miami, with Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando slated to remove safety operators in the weeks ahead ahead of public access in 2026.
- The company recently started offering paid freeway rides in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix, marking a key technical step for higher‑speed operations.
- Waymo remains the only U.S. operator providing paid robotaxi rides without in‑vehicle safety drivers, with a fleet reported at more than 1,500 vehicles and over 10 million paid rides since 2020.
- Regulatory and competitive pressures are rising as NHTSA investigates a school‑bus incident, Tesla gains an Arizona ride‑hail permit but continues using safety monitors, and Zoox opens free early rides to users in San Francisco.