Overview
- Freeway use is initially limited to early-access or opt-in riders, with availability expanding gradually across designated highway segments.
- Waymo expanded its Bay Area footprint to San Jose and now offers curbside pickup and drop-off at Mineta San Jose International Airport.
- The company says vehicles generally obey posted speed limits and may exceed them slightly only in rare safety situations.
- Waymo cites real-world drives, closed-course drills, large-scale simulation and added onboard redundancies, and it coordinated protocols with the California Highway Patrol and Arizona Department of Public Safety.
- The launch follows prior incidents and ongoing regulatory scrutiny, yet Waymo remains the only U.S. operator running a paid robotaxi service without in-vehicle safety drivers.