Image: Waymo
Waymo is accelerating its expansion across the U.S. once again, announcing today that it has officially begun testing in four new cities: Baltimore, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. The company will start with manual driving as it maps local roads, gathers data, and works toward eventually offering driverless robotaxi service to the public.
The move comes just weeks after Waymo expanded its ride-hailing service to five major U.S. cities — Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando — marking one of its largest geographic jumps to date. Earlier this summer, Waymo also announced plans to return to New York City with safety drivers behind the wheel initially as it re-establishes its presence there. And internationally, the company recently confirmed it is bringing its fully autonomous ride-hailing service to London, with deployments planned for 2026.
Each of the four newly added U.S. cities represents a different opportunity for Waymo as it broadens the regions where it hopes to eventually operate a fully driverless fleet. In St. Louis, Waymo will run manual mapping with its Jaguar I-PACE electric vehicles while preparing a safety framework similar to those used in its active markets. State officials, including Missouri’s House Speaker, have already welcomed the company’s arrival.
In Baltimore, Waymo will work closely with state leaders to establish a regulatory path toward deployment. Local organizations, including the National Federation of the Blind, say the arrival of autonomous ride-hailing could significantly improve mobility and accessibility for residents who face transportation barriers.
Philadelphia is already further along — Waymo began manual testing there earlier this year and recently moved to autonomous testing with specialists behind the wheel. The company says it will continue validating its autonomous “Waymo Driver” before transitioning to a full commercial launch.
And in Pittsburgh — a city central to the history of autonomous vehicle development — Waymo is deploying both its 5th- and 6th-generation platforms as it begins collecting data across the downtown core.
All four cities follow the same deliberate, safety-focused rollout blueprint Waymo has used in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and more. The company recently enabled freeway driving and airport access across those regions, expanding the usefulness of its service ahead of broader national and international launches.
Waymo now has more than 100 million fully autonomous miles driven in public traffic, and today’s expansion adds yet another set of regions where the company will refine and validate its next-generation driverless system.
