Waymo is removing the safety operators from its fleet of robotaxis in Miami starting today. This is a key step ahead of its planned commercial launch in 2026 and represents the latest in a series of expansions this year. The company announced it will begin offering fully autonomous trips to employees in Miami. Over the next few weeks, Waymo plans to do the same in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando.
This development follows a major milestone announced just last week, where Waymo began offering paid rides on highways in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix. This year has also seen the company launch services in Atlanta and Austin with partners like Uber, and introduce a corporate travel program.
Waymo is not the only company scaling a robotaxi service in the United States. Amazon-owned Zoox announced it will soon start offering free rides to members of its early rider program in San Francisco using its purpose-built vehicles. Zoox launched a similar public service in Las Vegas in September. Meanwhile, Tesla has been trialing its own service in Austin for several months. While CEO Elon Musk previously claimed Tesla’s robotaxi service would be available to half the country by the end of 2025, the company’s cars still have safety operators behind the wheel.
Amid this growing competition, Waymo has expressed confidence. The company stated it has not only built the technology but has also developed the definitive playbook for operating autonomous fleets across dozens of sites, along with industry-leading rider support.
The coming year is set to be even larger for Waymo. In addition to the five new cities, the company plans to start offering rides in Detroit, Las Vegas, San Diego, Nashville, and London. Waymo is also currently testing its vehicles in New York City under a permit that lasts until at least the end of the year. The company’s co-CEO, Tekedra Mawakana, stated that by the end of 2026, Waymo expects to be offering one million trips per week.
This expansion has not been without challenges. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently investigating Waymo’s technology after one of its vehicles in Atlanta was filmed turning in front of a stopped school bus.