The autonomous vehicle revolution continues to expand: Waymo, Google’s autonomous driving division, launched its robotaxi service in Miami, Florida in January 2026. This is a full autonomous ride service with no human driver, available to the public through advance booking via a dedicated app. With this launch, Miami joins a number of U.S. cities where the service operates commercially, as part of a broad expansion plan for the coming year.
According to the company’s announcement, nearly 10,000 residents in the Miami area have already registered for the service during the initial phase. Bookings are gradually released, sometimes through waiting lists, in order to allow controlled implementation of the technology and adaptation to local road conditions.
At this stage, the service operates over an area of approximately 60 square miles, covering key districts such as the Design District and Wynwood, characterized by dense urban traffic, pedestrians, and cyclists. Waymo also announced plans to later expand operations to Miami International Airport, one of the city’s most complex transportation hubs.
Even before the public launch, Waymo began test rides without passengers across Miami last November. This phase was intended to identify unique traffic patterns, tropical weather conditions, and local driving behaviors, as well as to make adjustments to the driving algorithms. The company emphasizes that the experience gained in other cities, combined with this local testing phase, now allows for a full commercial rollout.
Miami is not the first city where Waymo’s robotaxi service operates. The pioneering city was Phoenix, where the service was launched to the public several years ago and is still considered the company’s main milestone. Subsequently, the service expanded to the San Francisco Bay Area, where it is now available almost citywide and extensively south along the peninsula. Simultaneously, the service operates in Los Angeles, one of the most challenging cities in terms of traffic congestion, complex intersections, and driver behavior.
In Texas, Waymo operates its services in Austin, with some rides also available through a partnership with Uber. A similar model is implemented in Atlanta, where Waymo autonomous rides can be booked directly through the Uber app. This integration aims to facilitate public adoption of the service via familiar transportation platforms.
Beyond the cities where the service is already active, Waymo announced plans for launches during 2026 in additional cities, including Houston and Dallas, as well as Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, and Orlando. At the same time, test rides are also conducted outside the U.S., including in New York, London, and Tokyo, though currently without full commercial operation.
Amid this rapid expansion, public and regulatory discussions around autonomous vehicle safety continue to accompany the company’s activities. About a year ago, Waymo announced the opening of its ride-hailing app to the general public in San Francisco after an extended pilot period. At the same time, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration raised concerns following several incidents, including sudden stops and unpredictable vehicle behavior, questioning the maturity of the technology and the risk of accidents.
Waymo claims that data collected from cities where it operates indicates a tenfold reduction in severe accident injuries compared to human driving. The technology behind the vehicles includes 360-degree surround vision systems, object detection sensors with a range of up to 300 meters, radar, and graph neural networks capable of predicting vehicle and pedestrian trajectories even in complex traffic scenarios. For passengers, the user experience is relatively simple, including digital control of trip initiation, stopping, and requesting assistance.