Waymo, the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of Alphabet, announced plans to expand its robotaxi service to new cities in Texas and Florida in 2026. The company revealed that it will begin operating fully autonomous vehicles without human driver assistants in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Miami, and Orlando. Initially, these services will be available to Waymo employees, with public access anticipated next year.
This expansion marks a significant milestone for Waymo as it doubles the number of cities where its vehicles will operate without human oversight. According to Waymo’s Chief Product Officer Saswat Panigrahi, this development indicates the company's transition into a new phase of commercial scale.
Previously, Waymo had only announced plans for its robotaxi service in Dallas and Miami. The recent announcement clarifies that service will also commence in the other cities mentioned. In addition to the expansion to Texas and Florida, Waymo has plans to launch services in other major cities, including Detroit, Las Vegas, Nashville, San Diego, Washington, D.C., and even London, all in 2026.
Waymo has been actively testing its vehicles in various locations, including New York City and Tokyo, and has recently started offering freeway routes in markets such as San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. To date, Waymo has provided over 10 million paid rides since the launch of its robotaxi service in 2020.
The announcement coincides with a similar development from Amazon-owned Zoox, which has begun offering driverless rides in select areas of San Francisco. Zoox's entry into the market adds to the competitive landscape of autonomous vehicle services in urban environments.