Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company majority owned by Alphabet, is preparing for the commercial launch of a robotaxi service. The new business is launching first in Miami, Nashville, and Washington D.C. Waymo will beat the competition by launching first in Washington D.C. in 2026. This is an important move for the company’s rapid growth throughout the United States. Meanwhile, Waymo is using this testing to further ramp up its commercial testing and operations. They’re doing this work in a number of U.S. cities, including Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Like many of its self-driving competitors, Waymo has found its first market in Phoenix, Arizona, where the company launched its commercial service several years ago. In the year and a half since the launch of the deployment, the company has tested its AVs in more than 20 metropolitan areas. Yet Waymo is now deploying in cities like Miami and Nashville. Today’s announcement is yet another reflection of their determination to provide accessible, autonomous transportation solutions in cities big and small.
Besides the U.S. expansion, Waymo intends to deploy a dense robotaxi service across London by 2026. When effective, this action will make London the second international market for Waymo, after it first revealed plans to spread internationally last month to Tokyo. The launch in the U.K. capital is subject to the government completing its own approval process. Waymo officials have shown quite a bit of optimism over this international venture and what it could mean for urban mobility.
In markets like Austin and Atlanta, Waymo partners with Uber to control the line of its business. Uber covers all costs associated with the autonomous vehicles including charging, maintenance, and cleaning. You can hail Waymo’s robotaxis in these cities via the Uber app. This partnership uniquely combines both companies’ capabilities and data to provide a more seamless experience for users.
Waymo has been steadily increasing its operations over the past two years, focusing on perfecting its technology and ensuring safety standards are met. From the company’s rigorous testing and operational million mile-plus track record across major cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, they have a solid foundation. It’s ripe for future investments and cutting-edge solutions in transportation.