Waymo's driverless taxis now run in 14 U.S. cities after Denver, San Diego, Tampa launch
Waymo opened its robotaxi app to the public in three more cities, growing its fleet past 4,000 vehicles as Tesla pushes its own driverless rides into the same markets.
What happened: On September 1, Waymo began letting members of the public book rides in Denver, San Diego and Tampa, bringing its U.S. commercial footprint to 14 cities. Access is rolling out gradually through the Waymo app rather than to everyone at once. The expansion pushed Waymo's combined fleet — its familiar Jaguar I-Pace cars plus a newer minivan called the Ojai — past 4,000 vehicles nationwide.
Why it matters: This is Waymo's fastest stretch of growth yet, and it lands as Tesla races to catch up with paid driverless Model Y rides in six cities, including Tampa. For riders, robotaxis are shifting from a curiosity to an actual transportation option. Advocates for older adults and blind riders, quoted in Waymo's own announcement, say it solves specific pain points with human-driven rideshare, like drivers refusing service animals or unpredictable pickups.
How it works, plainly: Waymo follows a set playbook in every new city: map and test the routes, remove the human safety driver, let employees and invited guests try it, then slowly open the app to the public who signed up. In Denver and San Diego, the only vehicle available is the new Ojai minivan, built with Zeekr and Waymo's sixth-generation self-driving system, designed to cost less to build and run. That fleet is still small — about 300 vehicles — versus thousands of the older Jaguar I-Pace.
The rollout: Waymo's growth accelerated after its March 2025 Uber-partnered Austin launch, adding Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Nashville, Orlando and San Antonio since. Nevada regulators just approved up to 1,000 Waymo vehicles for Las Vegas, alongside permits for Tesla and Uber. Waymo is also planning launches in London and Munich, while local rules — which vary by state and sometimes require separate permits just to charge for rides — still set the actual timeline city by city.