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Waymo Opens Freeways to Paying Robotaxi Riders in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix

A staged beta built on millions of highway test miles signals a push to safer, faster rides.

Overview

  • Freeway driving begins for Trusted Tester users now, with access expanding to more riders as the rollout progresses.
  • Waymo extends Bay Area coverage to San José with curbside pickup at San Jose Mineta International Airport and grows the regional fleet from over 800 to more than 1,000 vehicles.
  • The company says its vehicles have logged millions of freeway miles and will generally follow posted speeds, adjusting up or down to match traffic flow for safety.
  • Most major highways within the Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco service areas are included at launch, though some segments are excluded and Austin and Atlanta are not yet enabled.
  • Early demonstrations indicate significant time savings, including a Business Insider ride that took 10 minutes via US‑101 versus about 27 minutes on surface streets without freeway access.