Waymo unveils plan to bring its robotaxi service to Miami
Waymo is gearing up to bring its robotaxi service to Miami, which will accelerate the expansion already underway while its hobbled rivals remain in the rearview mirror.
As part of the roadmap unveiled Thursday, Waymo plans to begin testing its self-driving Jaguars in Miami next year, giving the robotaxis time to get its bearings in Florida’s largest city before entering service in 2026. journeys will be charged. The move comes less than a month later. after Waymo opened its robotaxi service to anyone looking for a ride in a sprawling 49-square-mile area in Los Angeles, expanding its reach beyond its two main markets in Phoenix and San Francisco.
Waymo also plans to launch fleets in Atlanta and Austin next year as part of a partnership with ride-hailing leader Uber.
The growth prompted Waymo to partner with fleet management service Moove to oversee the maintenance of its robotaxis in Phoenix, where it now operates about 200 vehicles. Moove will also help manage the company’s robotaxis in Miami.
The steady expansion into new markets is beginning to fulfill what once seemed like a fantastic dream when Google started a secret self-driving car project called “Chauffeur” in 2009, which eventually evolved into Waymo in 2016.
Although Waymo continues to post significant losses under parent company Alphabet Inc., the service now offers more than 150,000 weekly rides without any history of catastrophic traffic accidents. That track record has boosted confidence that Waymo will be able to push its robotaxis into more markets and ultimately generate a steady stream of profits — an expectation that has helped it recently raised $5.6 billion from Alphabet and a list of other major investors.
Meanwhile, robotaxi rival Cruise is still trying to recover from a horrific accident last year that culminated in one of its self-driving cars in San Francisco dragging a jaywalking pedestrian who was hit by another car driven by a human. California regulators Cruise license suspended in the aftermath and its once-ambitious expansion plans have been scaled back by its parent company, automaker General Motors.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has periodically promised a fleet of Tesla robotaxis for almost a decade the promise extended again in October, when he predicted that the electric automaker’s “Cybercabs” will hit U.S. roads by 2026.