Image: Waymo
Waymo is taking its driverless ride-hailing service to the next level. The Alphabet-owned company announced on Wednesday that it’s rolling out freeway support for public riders across the San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix, and Los Angeles — a major step forward for autonomous mobility.
The expansion means passengers can now take freeway trips between destinations like Downtown LA and Culver City, or even to airports including Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix and San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in the Bay Area. Waymo says it’s also opening access to the entire Peninsula, offering seamless rides from San Francisco down to San Jose, complete with curbside pickup at SJC.
Image: Waymo
Waymo’s freeway capability has been in the works for years, refined through millions of miles of real-world testing in California and Arizona. The company says it’s gradually onboarding public riders to this new functionality, with plans to expand freeway access to Austin, Atlanta, and other cities in the near future. The rollout follows close collaboration with safety officials to ensure the new routes meet the company’s “safety-first” standard.
“Expanding our service territory in the Bay Area and introducing freeways is built on real-world performance and millions of miles logged on freeways, skillfully handling highway dynamics with our employees and guests in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles,” Waymo said. “This experience, reinforced by comprehensive testing as well as extensive operational preparation, supports the delivery of a safe and reliable service.”
In Phoenix, Waymo has already been growing its footprint — last month, the company teamed up with DoorDash to launch autonomous food deliveries in the city. Meanwhile, the company plans to expand its driverless ride-hailing network to Dallas next year, and even internationally to the United Kingdom.
Waymo’s announcement comes amid mounting competition from Tesla, which launched its own Robotaxi service in Austin earlier this year and began offering freeway rides in September. Tesla also recently expanded its Bay Area ride-hailing network to San Jose Airport, complete with a dedicated “Autonomous Vehicle Rideshare” lane.
Waymo’s freeway rollout signals that the race for dominance in the robotaxi market is speeding up — literally.
