Waymo Expands to Miami: Everything You Need to Know About the Growing Robotaxi Service

Self-driving cars are slowly becoming more dystopian and real-world as companies like Waymo, the driverless arm of Google parent Alphabet, expand into more cities. Now, Waymo is adding Miami to its lineup, first bringing its fleet of all-electric Jaguar I-Paces to the roads there in early 2025 before finally opening to passengers in 2026. Passengers will be able to access the robot service through Waymo One. app, currently active in cities including San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Waymo will partner with Moove, a fintech company that provides vehicle financing, first in Phoenix, where Moove will manage the robotaxi fleet, services and charging infrastructure. In both Phoenix and Miami, “Waymo will continue to provide our service through the Waymo One app, and remain responsible for ensuring the performance of the Waymo Driver,” the company said in a blog post Thursday.

In October, Waymo also announced that it is working with Hyundai to bring the next generation of their technology to the Ioniq 5 SUV. In the coming years, passengers will be able to summon all-electric vehicles — without a driver — and use the Waymo One app.

The self-driving technology company is no stranger to big partnerships. Earlier this year, it said it was working with Uber to bring its ride-hailing service to Atlanta and Austin through the Uber app. Starting in 2025, Uber will manage and deploy Waymo’s fleet of autonomous, all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles (which the company currently uses in some cities), so you can choose to ride without a driver when you start your journey.

Waymo currently operates fully autonomous rides for the general public in the San Francisco and Phoenix areas, as well as for select members of the public in Los Angeles. The company says it provides more than 100,000 trips each week in those cities. I’ve hailed several rides myself in San Francisco, and as put-down as it may seem at first (especially seeing the steering wheel turn on its own), I quickly adjusted and it soon felt like a normal ride.

That’s not to say there haven’t been setbacks as Waymo moves forward in more cities. The company’s vehicles have been involved in several collisions, including one with a bicyclist in San Francisco, and another with a tow truck in Phoenix. (It recalled and updated its software to address the problem.) In response to concerns, Waymo says that across 14.8 million miles, its autonomous Waymo Driver technology was “3.5x better at avoiding crashes that cause injuries and 2x better at avoiding police .-reported accidents than human drivers in SF and Phoenix.” It also released a data hub earlier this month, detailing efforts to improve road safety using its technology.

As Waymo continues to expand and improve its self-driving technology, here’s a guide on how and where to call a robotaxi, if possible in one of the few cities where the company currently operates its vehicles.

Watch this: Testing Waymo’s Safe Exit Feature in Self-Driving Taxis

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Driving a car in Phoenix

Phoenix became the first city to open Waymo’s fully autonomous ride to the public, in 2020. To recommend a ride, download the Waymo One app on iOS or Android.– no waiting list required. The service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

As a preview of what’s to come in Austin and Atlanta, you can use the Uber app to hail one of Waymo’s vehicles in Phoenix. If you request an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric ride, you’ll have the option to confirm a Waymo ride, if matched.

In addition to hailing a ride, you can also get your Uber Eats meals delivered in a private car. If you place an order in the Phoenix area, you may get a note saying “private vehicles can deliver your order.” When the Waymo vehicle arrives, take your phone with you to open the trunk and catch your delivery. You can opt out of this at checkout if you’d rather have someone deliver your food.

Driving a car in San Francisco

San Francisco followed after Phoenix, releasing private passengers in late 2022. It ditched the waiting list in June, so anyone can just download the Waymo One app to get a ride at any time. The service also operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are currently no Uber partnerships in San Francisco.

In August, Waymo expanded its ride-hailing service to the San Francisco Peninsula, adding 10 square miles and entering Daly City, Broadmoor and Colma. It now covers 55 square miles of the Bay Area.

Driving a car in Los Angeles

In November, Waymo dropped its waiting list in Los Angeles and began accepting all public riders through the Waymo One app. Now, any interested riders can hop on a 24/7 robotaxis and ride across nearly 80 square miles of LA County, including Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Downtown LA — with plans to expand to more areas soon.

Coming soon: Austin and Atlanta

After a year of testing in Austin, Waymo opened its interest list there in early October. The company says it will accept a “limited number of early riders” through the Waymo One app, before moving to the Uber app next year.

“Riders will travel across 37 square miles of the city, as we prepare for a commercial launch early next year – specifically on the Uber system,” Waymo wrote on X.

That Uber partnership should make autonomous riding more accessible to more people. In a September statement, Waymo CEO Tekedra Mawakana said, “Waymo’s mission is to be the world’s most trusted driver, and we are excited to launch this expanded network and partner with Uber in Austin and Atlanta to bring the benefits of fully autonomous driving to more passengers. “

As part of the Uber partnership, Uber will handle tasks such as cleaning and repairing vehicles while “Waymo will continue to be responsible for testing and operating Waymo Driver, including roadside assistance and certain passenger support functions,” the companies said.

In Atlanta, public riders can ride without a driver with the Uber app from early 2025.

Community members in Austin and Atlanta can join the interest list and be notified when it’s time to ride.

The way forward

Miami is next on Waymo’s list, but you’ll have to wait until 2026 to ride there, the company said. It has been testing the weather ahead of this release, noting in a blog post, “Our previous trip to the Sunshine State’s challenging rainy conditions was a huge help in improving our autonomous driving skills.”

In August, Waymo unveiled the sixth generation of its self-driving technology, which aims to improve the capabilities of its self-driving fleet. Smart sensors will help cars navigate better in extreme weather, Waymo says. The sixth-generation driver will ride in an all-electric Zeekr vehicle, with a flat floor, a head and leg seat, adjustable seats and a removable steering wheel and pedals. The updated technology is still being tested, and the company says it will be available to passengers soon.

In October, Waymo also announced a partnership with Hyundai to integrate its sixth-generation Driver into the Ioniq 5 electric SUV, which, according to the blog, “will be added to the Waymo One fleet over time.” The companies added that they “plan to produce a fleet of Ioniq 5s equipped with Waymo technology in high volume over several years to support the growing scale of Waymo One.” Testing with these vehicles will begin in late 2025 and be available “in the following years.”

For now, everyday commuters can’t take a Waymo car on freeways and highways, but that may change soon. The company is testing a fully autonomous ride on freeways in Phoenix, as seen in an exclusive video shared with CNET in May.

Waymo is working to expand its autonomous driving technology into trucks, but said last year it was scaling back those efforts for now, to focus on ride-hailing with Waymo One. It noted, “Our continued investment in improving Waymo Driver capabilities, particularly on highways, will translate directly into trucking and benefit its development efforts.”