Waymo expands robotaxi service to Denver, San Diego and Tampa
Waymo has opened its robotaxi service to the public in Denver, San Diego and Tampa, bringing its commercial operations to 14 U.S. cities as it races ahead of rival Tesla.
Alphabet-owned Waymo announced Tuesday that it has begun offering its robotaxi service to the public in Denver, San Diego and Tampa, extending its commercial footprint to 14 U.S. cities. Riders will be invited gradually as Waymo follows its usual rollout approach in new markets.
The expansion has pushed Waymo's fleet — made up of self-driving Jaguar I-Pace hatchbacks and its newer Ojai minivan — past 4,000 vehicles. In Denver and San Diego, the Zeekr-built Ojai, which runs on Waymo's sixth-generation self-driving system, will be the only vehicle available to riders. That fleet currently numbers around 300 vehicles but is expected to grow quickly as the company pursues both scale and profitability.
The new launches come as Tesla works to close the gap in the robotaxi race. Tesla already charges for driverless rides in its Model Y vehicles in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando and Tampa, and continues to expand its fleet in those markets while also developing its two-seat, steering-wheel-free Cybercab.
A rapid expansion streak
Waymo's aggressive growth began roughly 18 months ago. After years of operating in Phoenix, the company secured permits for commercial driverless rides in San Francisco in August 2023 and expanded into Los Angeles in 2024. A turning point came in March 2025, when Waymo opened its service to riders in Austin through a partnership with Uber. Since then it has launched in seven more cities, including Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Nashville, Orlando and San Antonio.
Last month, the Nevada Transportation Authority unanimously approved a permit allowing Waymo to operate up to 1,000 autonomous vehicles in Clark County, home to Las Vegas, over the coming year; Tesla and Uber received similar permits. Waymo is also planning international launches in London and Munich.
In nearly every new market, Waymo follows the same sequence: mapping and testing its technology, removing human safety operators, then opening the service first to employees, media and invited guests before the public. How quickly that happens depends on local regulation — states like California require separate permits for deploying driverless vehicles and for charging riders.
