The autonomous driving leader expands its driverless footprint with plans to reach 1 million weekly trips by end of 2026—despite growing competition and regulatory scrutiny.
Waymo Goes Fully Driverless in Miami
Waymo is now operating fully autonomous robotaxis without safety drivers in Miami, marking another milestone in the company’s rapid U.S. expansion. Starting today, Waymo employees will be the first to experience these driverless rides, with public access expected by 2026.
- This follows recent paid highway ride launches in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco.
- Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando are next, with testing ramping up in the coming weeks.
From Testing to Scaling: Waymo’s 2025–2026 Playbook
The move is part of Waymo’s broader plan to operate in at least 10 U.S. cities and one international location (London) by end of 2026. Other upcoming markets include:
- Detroit
- Las Vegas
- San Diego
- Nashville
- New York City (where testing is ongoing)
“By the end of 2026, you should expect us to be offering 1 million trips per week,” said co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana at TechCrunch Disrupt.
Competition Heats Up Across the U.S.
Waymo’s announcement comes the same day rival Zoox—owned by Amazon—revealed it will begin offering free robotaxi rides in San Francisco to members of its early access program. Zoox began testing in Las Vegas earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Tesla has been trialing a robotaxi service in Austin, though its vehicles still require safety drivers. Elon Musk once claimed half the U.S. would have access to Tesla robotaxis by end of 2025, but no commercial rollout has materialized yet.
Waymo is positioning itself as the most experienced player:
“We haven’t just built the technology; we’ve developed the definitive playbook for operating autonomous fleets,” the company wrote.
A Confident Push Amid Regulatory Headwinds
While Waymo appears confident in its tech and operations, regulatory scrutiny is growing. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is currently investigating a turning incident in Atlanta, where a Waymo vehicle turned in front of a stopped school bus.
Despite that, Waymo continues to move aggressively, launching:
- A corporate travel program for business commuters
- Strategic partnerships with platforms like Uber
- Paid robotaxi services on urban highways
This combination of real-world deployments and enterprise partnerships strengthens Waymo’s case as the front-runner in autonomous ride-hailing.
What’s Next?
As Waymo moves from tech validation to nationwide scaling, its focus will be on:
- Maintaining safety and public trust
- Navigating evolving regulatory frameworks
- Expanding rider support infrastructure
- Competing on user experience, not just autonomy
If successful, Waymo could become the first robotaxi company to offer a truly national footprint, starting with Miami today and scaling toward its 1 million rides/week goal by 2026.
