Waymo Expands Autonomous Ride-Hailing to Three U.S. Cities

• Waymo will launch its fully autonomous ride-hailing service in San Diego, Detroit, and Las Vegas in 2026.
• The company is actively preparing by training first responders, partnering with local groups, and adapting its technology to each city’s unique driving conditions.

Waymo has announced it will begin fully autonomous ride-hailing operations in San Diego, Detroit, and Las Vegas in 2026. The expansion adds three high-profile urban centers to its existing footprint, which already includes 5 major cities in the U.S., including Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and others.

Waymo is preparing for each new city by working with local groups, training emergency personnel, and adapting its technology to local driving conditions. In Detroit, it's drawing on its engineering base in Novi and past testing across Michigan, including in heavy snow in the Upper Peninsula, to ready the system for winter. In Las Vegas, where the company is returning after years of visits and earlier operations, plans include expanding service along the Strip and eventually reaching the airport.

These new deployments come alongside a flurry of previous announcement,s including seeing Waymo's first international launch in London through a partnership with Moove, and airport transit testing at Newark and San Francisco. The company is also getting into the autonomous food delivery space, with its tests in Phoenix with DoorDash.

🌀 Tom’s Take:

Waymo’s expansion is accelerating on every front with new cities, airports, and even delivery. It's fast becoming the dominant force in autonomous mobility.

Source: Waymo