Self-driving automobiles are slowly turning into less dystopian and more real world as corporations like Waymo, the driverless arm of Google mum or dad Alphabet, broaden into extra cities.
Waymo presently operates absolutely autonomous rides for most people within the San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles areas by way of its Waymo One app. However in 2025, the corporate plans so as to add extra areas to its roster, ultimately opening as much as riders in locations like Atlanta and Miami. Waymo will even be testing with manually pushed autos in 10 new cities this yr, beginning with Las Vegas and San Diego, based on The Verge. (Waymo did not reply to CNET’s request for touch upon that replace.)
The autonomous rides happen aboard the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace, however in October, Waymo introduced it is partnering with Hyundai to deliver the following era of its expertise into Ioniq 5 SUVs. Within the years to come back, riders will be capable of summon these all-electric autos — with no driver behind the wheel — additionally utilizing the Waymo One app.
The self-driving-tech firm is not any stranger to large-scale partnerships. In 2024, it mentioned it was teaming up with Uber to deliver its robotaxi service to Atlanta and Austin by way of the Uber app. Beginning in 2025, Uber will handle and dispatch Waymo’s fleet of absolutely autonomous autos, so you possibly can select a experience with no driver when embarking in your journey.
Waymo says it supplies greater than 150,000 trips every week. I’ve hailed a number of rides myself in San Francisco, and as off-putting as it may possibly appear at first (particularly to see a steering wheel flip by itself), I rapidly adjusted and it quickly felt like an peculiar experience.
That is to not say there hasn’t been pushback as Waymo rolls out to extra cities. The corporate’s autos have been concerned in a handful of high-profile collisions, together with one with a biker in San Francisco, and one other with a towed pickup truck in Phoenix. (It recalled and updated its software to deal with the difficulty.) In response to issues, Waymo says that throughout 14.8 million miles, its autonomous Waymo Driver expertise “was as much as 3.5x higher in avoiding crashes that trigger accidents and 2x higher in avoiding police-reported crashes than human drivers in SF and Phoenix.” It additionally launched a data hub final yr, detailing efforts to enhance street security utilizing its expertise.
As Waymo continues to broaden and develop its self-driving tech, here is a information to how and the place to summon the robotaxi, for those who occur to be in one of many few cities the place the corporate presently operates its fleet.
Watch this: Testing Waymo’s Protected Exit Characteristic in a Self-Driving Taxi
Hailing a experience in Phoenix
Phoenix was the first city to open up absolutely autonomous Waymo rides to the general public, in 2020. To hail a experience, obtain the Waymo One app on iOS or Android — no ready checklist wanted. The service operates 24 hours a day, seven days every week.
As a teaser for what’s to come back in Austin and Atlanta, you may also use the Uber app to summon considered one of Waymo’s autos in Phoenix. Once you request an UberX, Uber Inexperienced, Uber Consolation or Uber Consolation Electrical experience, you may have the selection to verify a Waymo experience, for those who’re matched.
Along with hailing a ride, you might also have your Uber Eats meal delivered by an autonomous car. When inserting an order within the Phoenix space, you would possibly get a be aware that “autonomous autos might ship your order.” When the Waymo automobile arrives, take your cellphone with you to pop open the trunk and seize your supply. You possibly can decide out of this throughout checkout for those who’d quite have a human ship your meals.
Hailing a experience in San Francisco
San Francisco adopted go well with after Phoenix, rolling out fully autonomous rides in late 2022. It scrapped the waiting list in June, so now anybody can merely obtain the Waymo One app to experience anytime. The service additionally operates 24 hours a day, seven days every week. There’s presently no Uber partnership in San Francisco.
In August, Waymo expanded its ride-hailing service into the San Francisco Peninsula, including 10 sq. miles and venturing into Daly Metropolis, Broadmoor and Colma. It now operates throughout 55 sq. miles of the Bay Space.
Hailing a experience in Los Angeles
In November, Waymo scrapped its waitlist for Los Angeles and commenced welcoming all public riders by way of the Waymo One app. Now any passengers can hop within the robotaxis 24/7 and experience throughout almost 80 square miles of LA county, together with Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Downtown LA — with plans to broaden into extra areas quickly.
Coming quickly: Austin and Atlanta
After greater than a yr of testing in Austin, Waymo opened up rides for individuals on its curiosity checklist there in early October. The corporate says it will welcome a “restricted variety of early riders” by way of the Waymo One app, earlier than ultimately transitioning to the Uber app.
“Riders will journey throughout 37 sq. miles of town, as we put together for our business launch early subsequent yr — solely on the Uber app,” Waymo posted on X in October.
That Uber partnership ought to make autonomous rides extra accessible to extra individuals. In an announcement in September, Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana mentioned, “Waymo’s mission is to be the world’s most trusted driver, and we’re excited to launch this expanded community and operations partnership with Uber in Austin and Atlanta to deliver the advantages of absolutely autonomous driving to extra riders.”
As a part of the Uber partnership, Uber will handle duties like automobile cleansing and restore, whereas “Waymo will proceed to be answerable for the testing and operation of the Waymo Driver, together with roadside help and sure rider assist capabilities,” the businesses mentioned.
In Atlanta, public riders can catch a driverless experience by way of the Uber app beginning in early 2025.
Members of the general public in each Austin and Atlanta can be part of an interest list and be notified when it is time to experience.
The street forward: Miami and future autos
Miami can be subsequent on Waymo’s checklist, however you may have to attend till 2026 to experience there by way of the Waymo One app, the corporate says. It has been conducting weather testing within the lead-up to this rollout, noting in a blog post, “Our earlier street journeys to the Sunshine State’s difficult wet circumstances have been invaluable in advancing our autonomous driving capabilities.”
Waymo will collaborate with Moove, a fintech firm that provides automobile financing, first in Phoenix, the place Moove will handle the robotaxi’s fleet operations, services and charging infrastructure. In each Phoenix after which Miami, “Waymo will proceed to supply our service by the Waymo One app, and stay answerable for validation and operation of the Waymo Driver,” the corporate mentioned in a blog post.
In August, Waymo unveiled the sixth generation of its self-driving expertise, which goals to broaden the capabilities of its driverless fleet. Smarter sensors are supposed to assist the automobiles higher navigate in excessive climate, Waymo mentioned. The sixth-gen Driver will come aboard the all-electric Zeekr vehicle, 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, and the corporate says it will 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, based on a weblog submit, “shall 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 vital quantity over a number of years to assist Waymo One’s rising scale.” Testing with these autos will begin by late 2025 and grow to be obtainable “within the years to comply with.”
At the moment, on a regular basis riders cannot take a Waymo automobile on highways and freeways, however that will quickly change. The corporate is testing absolutely autonomous rides on freeways in Phoenix, as seen in an exclusive video shared with CNET in Might.
Waymo is working to broaden its autonomous driving tech into trucking as nicely, however it mentioned final yr that it is scaling back those efforts in the meanwhile, to concentrate on 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.”
