Waymo Is Expanding to Dallas. Everything to Know About the Robotaxi

Self-driving vehicles are slowly turning into much less sci-fi and extra real-world as corporations like Waymo, the autonomous arm of Google’s mum or dad Alphabet, increase into extra cities. On Monday, the corporate shared it is planning to make its robotaxi service obtainable in Dallas by a partnership with Avis Finances Group, which is able to handle the fleet. Waymo has already begun early testing there, and says it plans to supply public rides within the metropolis subsequent 12 months. 

Waymo at present operates absolutely autonomous rides for most people in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Austin, Texas, which occur aboard the all-electric Jaguar I-Tempo. The automobiles will be summoned both through the Waymo One app or Uber, relying on the town. Waymo plans to start providing rides in Washington, DC, and Miami beginning in 2026. In April, it mentioned it’s going to start driving its automobiles on Tokyo’s streets, making this the corporate’s first worldwide location.

Earlier this month, Waymo’s automobiles additionally arrived on the streets of New York Metropolis, the place the corporate will start by manually gathering driving knowledge. It is also rolling out a restricted fleet of automobiles with human drivers in Philadelphia. The objective is to develop its expertise and presumably increase its ride-hailing service to these cities sometime.

In January, Waymo introduced it could start testing with manually pushed automobiles in 10 new cities this 12 months, beginning with Las Vegas and San Diego. And in April, it mentioned it reached a preliminary settlement with Toyota to “discover a collaboration” geared towards growing autonomous driving tech, which might sometime be factored into personally owned automobiles. 

Waymo’s growth extends to its manufacturing amenities as properly. In Could, the corporate mentioned it is opening a brand new, 239,000-square-foot autonomous car manufacturing facility within the Phoenix space. The plan is so as to add 2,000 extra absolutely autonomous Jaguar I-Tempo automobiles to its current 1,500-vehicle fleet. Notably, Waymo indicated it acquired its “ultimate supply from Jaguar” earlier this 12 months, because it plans for future iterations of its driverless rides. Waymo added that the “facility’s versatile design” will permit it to combine its upcoming sixth-generation self-driving expertise into new automobiles, beginning with the all-electric Zeekr RT. 

In October, Waymo additionally introduced that it is partnering with Hyundai to deliver the following technology of its expertise into Ioniq 5 SUVs. Within the years to return, riders will be capable of summon these all-electric, autonomous automobiles utilizing the Waymo One app. 

The self-driving firm says it supplies greater than 250,000 paid journeys every week and drives throughout greater than 700 sq. miles throughout the US. I’ve hailed a number of rides myself in San Francisco and, as off-putting as it might appear at first (particularly to see a steering wheel flip by itself), I shortly adjusted, and it quickly felt like an bizarre journey.

That is to not say there hasn’t been pushback as Waymo rolls out to extra cities. The corporate’s automobiles have been concerned in a handful of high-profile collisions, together with one with a bicyclist in San Francisco and one other with a towed pickup truck in Phoenix. (Waymo recalled and up to date its software program to deal with the difficulty.) 

Waymo’s Security Influence report notes that over the course of 71 million autonomous miles pushed by March 2025, its Waymo Driver expertise had 88% fewer crashes resulting in severe accidents or worse and 78% fewer injury-causing crashes, in contrast with “a median human driver over the identical distance in our working cities.” It additionally reported considerably fewer crashes with accidents to pedestrians (93%), cyclists (81%) and motorcyclists (86%).

As Waymo continues to increase and develop its self-driving tech, this is how and the place to summon the robotaxi for those who occur to be in one of many few cities the place the corporate at present operates its fleet. 

Hailing a journey in Phoenix

Phoenix was the primary metropolis to open up absolutely autonomous Waymo rides to the general public, in 2020. To hail a journey, obtain the Waymo One app on iOS or Android. The service operates 24 hours a day, seven days every week.

You may as well use the Uber app to summon one in all Waymo’s automobiles in Phoenix. While you request an UberX, Uber Inexperienced, Uber Consolation or Uber Consolation Electrical journey, you may have the selection to substantiate a Waymo journey, for those who’re matched. 

Along with hailing a journey, you might also have your Uber Eats meal delivered by an autonomous automotive. When inserting an order within the Phoenix space, you may get a notice that “autonomous automobiles could ship your order.” When the Waymo automotive arrives, take your cellphone with you to pop open the trunk and seize your supply. You’ll be able to decide out of this throughout checkout for those who’d fairly have a human ship your meals.

Hailing a journey within the San Francisco Bay Space

San Francisco adopted swimsuit after Phoenix, rolling out absolutely autonomous rides in late 2022. It scrapped the ready checklist in June 2024, so now anybody can obtain the Waymo One app to journey anytime. The service additionally operates 24 hours a day, seven days every week. There’s at present no Uber partnership in San Francisco. 

In August 2024, Waymo expanded its ride-hailing service into the San Francisco Peninsula, and expanded once more in March in order that choose Waymo One riders who dwell in Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto and elements of Sunnyvale have the choice to hail a robotaxi there, too. In June, it expanded additional into the Peninsula, and its service space now consists of Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae, Burlingame, Daly Metropolis, Broadmoor and Colma. Choose riders can now additionally entry Mountain View and extra elements of Palo Alto and Menlo Park.

In Could, the California Public Utilities Fee accredited Waymo’s software to function in South Bay and practically all of San Jose, opening up the door to future expansions. 

Hailing a journey in Los Angeles County

In November, Waymo scrapped its waitlist for Los Angeles and started welcoming all public riders through the Waymo One app. Now any passengers can hop within the robotaxis 24/7 and journey throughout practically 120 sq. miles of LA County, together with Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Inglewood, Silver Lake, Playa del Rey, Ladera Heights, Echo Park and Downtown LA, and alongside all of Sundown Boulevard. 

There’s at present no Uber partnership in Los Angeles.

Hailing a journey in Austin

Riders can hail a Waymo throughout 90 sq. miles of Austin, together with neighborhoods like Crestview, Windsor Park and Franklin Park and areas like The Area and McKinney Falls State Park. There are greater than 100 Waymo automobiles within the metropolis, with plans for additional growth. 

In Austin, the one method to hail a Waymo journey is thru Uber — no Waymo One app right here. By requesting an UberX, Uber Inexperienced, Uber Consolation or Uber Consolation Electrical, you possibly can be matched with a Waymo car — and you will not be upcharged. When you’d fairly not take a driverless journey, you may have the choice to change to a normal one. However, if you wish to increase your possibilities of being matched to a self-driving automotive, you may go to Account > Settings > Autonomous automobiles, then hit the toggle subsequent to Get extra Waymo rides.

Unlock the door, pop open the trunk and begin the journey from the Uber app. You may nonetheless be requested to price your journey on the finish, however you will not be requested to tip.

If there are any points, riders can entry human assist 24/7 through the Uber app and from contained in the Waymo car (there are screens in the back and front that allow you to shortly summon buyer assist).

As a part of the Uber partnership, Uber will handle duties like car cleansing and restore, whereas “Waymo will proceed to be accountable for the testing and operation of the Waymo Driver, together with roadside help and sure rider assist capabilities,” the businesses mentioned. The collaboration ought to make autonomous rides accessible to extra folks, who now will not must obtain a separate app to hitch a journey in a robotaxi.

Hailing a journey in Atlanta

Waymo operates throughout 65 sq. miles of Atlanta, with plans for future expansions. Like in Austin, you may climb aboard a Waymo robotaxi solely through the Uber app. While you e book a journey by UberX, Uber Consolation or Uber Consolation Electrical, you is perhaps paired with a Waymo car at no extra price. You may have the choice to just accept or decline the driverless journey every time. 

You’ll be able to unlock the car, pop the trunk and begin the journey all from the Uber app, and you may entry human assist 24/7 through the Uber app and from touchscreens contained in the car.

If you wish to increase your possibilities of being paired with a Waymo car, you may decide in by going to the Uber app, tapping Account > Settings > Autonomous automobiles (beneath Experience Preferences), after which hitting the toggle subsequent to Get extra Waymo rides.

Upcoming expansions 

Dallas

Waymo is at present conducting early testing in Dallas, with plans to launch public rides through the Waymo One app subsequent 12 months. The corporate is teaming up with Avis Finances Group, which is able to handle the fleet, together with car cleansing and upkeep.

“Our partnership with Waymo marks a pivotal milestone in our evolution, from a rental automotive firm to a number one supplier of fleet administration, infrastructure and operations to the broader mobility ecosystem,” Avis Finances Group CEO Brian Choi mentioned in an announcement. “Collectively, we’re dedicated to creating scaled autonomous mobility a actuality for the folks of Dallas, with plans to increase to extra cities within the close to future.”

New York Metropolis

In June, Waymo shared plans to deliver its autonomous tech again to New York Metropolis, after having first operated by hand its automobiles there in 2021. It’s going to as soon as once more begin by driving manually within the Massive Apple, because it waits to listen to about its allow software with the New York Metropolis Division of Transportation to function autonomously with a human behind the wheel. Waymo is just not but increasing its ride-hailing service to New York Metropolis, however says it plans to take action sooner or later.

Present legal guidelines within the state of New York do not allow the identical absolutely autonomous ride-hailing service that corporations like Waymo provide in different elements of the nation. Waymo says it is “advocating for a change in state regulation that may permit for working a car with no human behind the wheel,” including, “we now have each intention of bringing our absolutely autonomous ride-hailing service to the town sooner or later.” 

In early July, Waymo started manually working its automobiles in Manhattan, elements of Downtown Brooklyn, Jersey Metropolis and Hoboken. If NYCDOT grants the corporate’s allow, Waymo says it’s going to drive autonomously with a specialist behind the wheel in New York Metropolis, however not in New Jersey.

Philadelphia

Waymo mentioned in July that it is bringing a restricted fleet of its automobiles to “essentially the most complicated elements” of Philadelphia, “together with downtown and freeways.” These automobiles could have human drivers behind the wheel as the corporate continues to develop its driving capabilities. There aren’t any fast plans to launch a robotaxi service there.

Washington, DC

Waymo plans to begin providing rides by its Waymo One app in Washington, DC, in 2026. The corporate returned to the nation’s capital in January to check its autonomous driving tech. In late March, it mentioned it was bringing extra automobiles to the town and dealing to scale its service all year long. In a weblog put up, Waymo mentioned it’s going to “proceed to work carefully with policymakers to formalize the laws wanted to function and not using a human behind the wheel within the District.”

Miami 

You may even have to attend till 2026 to journey a Waymo in Miami. The corporate has been conducting climate testing within the lead-up to that eventual rollout, noting in a weblog put up, “Our earlier highway journeys to the Sunshine State’s difficult wet situations have been invaluable in advancing our autonomous driving capabilities.”

Waymo will collaborate with Moove, a fintech firm that provides car financing, first in Phoenix, the place Moove will handle the robotaxi’s fleet operations, amenities and charging infrastructure. In Phoenix after which Miami, “Waymo will proceed to supply our service by the Waymo One app, and stay accountable for validation and operation of the Waymo Driver,” the corporate mentioned in a weblog put up.

Tokyo

Waymo’s growth into Tokyo, which was introduced in December, is going on in partnership with Japanese taxi service Nihon Kotsu and taxi app Go. In April, the self-driving firm shared that it is lastly able to hit the highway overseas.

Waymo says educated Nihon Kotsu drivers will manually drive its automobiles throughout seven Tokyo wards, together with Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Chiyoda, Chūō, Shinagawa and Kōtō. This can permit engineers to check and adapt Waymo’s autonomous driving tech to native highway options and site visitors. 

“In Tokyo, we’re abiding by the identical steadfast rules that information us within the US — dedication to security, dedication to incomes belief in communities the place we function, and collaboration with native officers and neighborhood teams right here in Tokyo,” Nicole Gavel, Waymo’s head of enterprise improvement and strategic partnerships, mentioned in an announcement.

It isn’t clear when riders will be capable of hitch a self-driving journey with Waymo in Tokyo.

The highway forward: Future automobiles

In August, Waymo unveiled the sixth technology of its self-driving expertise, which strives to increase the capabilities of its driverless fleet. Smarter sensors are supposed to assist the vehicles higher navigate in excessive climate, Waymo mentioned. The sixth-gen Driver will come aboard the all-electric Zeekr car, which includes a flat flooring, extra head- and legroom, adjustable seats and a detachable steering wheel and pedals. The up to date tech remains to be being examined, however the firm says it’s going to be obtainable to riders quickly.

In October, Waymo additionally introduced a partnership with Hyundai to combine its sixth-generation Driver into the all-electric Ioniq 5 SUV, which, in line with a weblog put up, “will probably be added to the Waymo One fleet over time.” The businesses added that they “plan to supply a fleet of Ioniq 5s geared up with Waymo’s expertise in important quantity over a number of years to assist Waymo One’s rising scale.” Testing with these automobiles will begin by late 2025 and develop into obtainable “within the years to comply with.”

Presently, on a regular basis riders cannot take a Waymo car on highways and freeways, however which will quickly change. The corporate is testing absolutely autonomous rides on freeways in Phoenix, as seen in an unique video shared with CNET in Could. It is also now making absolutely autonomous freeway rides obtainable to Waymo workers in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Space.

Waymo is working to increase its autonomous driving tech into trucking as properly, nevertheless it mentioned final 12 months that it is scaling again these efforts in the meanwhile, to deal with ride-hailing with Waymo One. It famous, “Our ongoing funding in advancing Waymo Driver capabilities, particularly on freeways, will immediately translate to trucking and profit its improvement efforts.”