Waymo is expanding to three new cities across the United States: Minneapolis, New Orleans, and Tampa. The company announced it will begin manually driving its vehicles in these cities in the coming days. This initial phase is a step toward testing and validating its driverless technology, with the ultimate goal of launching a commercial robotaxi service in each location.
These new cities join a growing list of areas where Waymo has launched or plans to launch its robotaxis. The Alphabet-owned company already offers rides on surface streets and highways in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix. It is also operational in Austin and Atlanta. Looking ahead to 2026, Waymo plans to expand to Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, San Antonio, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. The company is also testing in New York City and has plans to offer commercial rides internationally, starting with London and Tokyo.
The newly announced cities present unique challenges for Waymo’s technology. Minneapolis has harsh winters where snow could challenge the vehicle’s perception systems and a lack of traction will test the automated driving capabilities. New Orleans features many tight, one-way streets that are heavily used by pedestrians, particularly in areas like the French Quarter.
As Waymo expands, it has been working with various partners to help operate its fleets in different cities. Its vehicles are available on the Uber app in Austin and Atlanta. The African mobility and fintech company Moove took over operations in Phoenix and will do the same in Miami. The Avis Budget Group will manage the fleet in Dallas. It is not yet clear if Waymo will use similar partnerships in the three new cities.
Waymo is currently outpacing other companies in expanding its robotaxi services to new cities. Amazon-owned Zoox is offering free rides in its custom-built robotaxi in Las Vegas and is allowing members of its early-rider program to take trips in San Francisco while it awaits a necessary exemption from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to begin full commercial operations.
Meanwhile, Tesla is working to expand its own nascent robotaxi service, which still requires safety monitors in the driver’s seat. The company recently received a permit to start offering rides in Arizona, adding to its existing services in Austin and San Francisco.