Waymo Plans Public Launch in Five New Cities in 2026

Waymo is about to widen its lead in the robotaxi race. Google’s autonomous driving arm announced that its service will open to the public in five new cities next year. The list includes Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando.
Waymo has already started operating without a driver in Miami. It is doing those early runs without passengers who are not employees, and the remaining cities will begin similar testing in the coming weeks.
The service is currently active in the Bay Area, Austin, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. Waymo also has another dozen markets lined up for expansion, which puts it well ahead of its biggest rival.
Tesla is still much earlier in the rollout. Its only operational autonomous service is in Austin, and it is invite-only with a safety monitor in the passenger seat. The company’s Bay Area program still uses an employee in the driver’s seat with supervised full self-driving.
Tesla told investors on its last earnings call that it planned to reach eight to ten cities by the end of the year. As of November, the company has confirmed five new markets where it hopes to expand soon. The list includes Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, and Miami.