Waymo goes driverless in Las Vegas and adds Denver, San Diego and Tampa
Waymo began fully driverless operations in Las Vegas and will open Denver, San Diego and Tampa — employee rides first, public by year-end — pushing past 10 US cities toward its target of 1 million paid rides a week by end of 2026.
Waymo announced four new markets: fully driverless operations are live in Las Vegas, with Denver, San Diego and Tampa opening to Alphabet employees first and public riders targeted in each city by the end of the year. That takes its footprint past 10 US cities (Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, LA, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, San Francisco), against a stated goal of 1 million paid rides a week by end-2026. Denver is the cold-weather test, running the sixth-generation Driver on the snow-capable Ojai vehicle.
Why it matters
Four cities in one announcement is a cadence claim: Waymo is saying city launches are now a repeatable process, not bespoke projects — the same week Tesla planted its flag in Miami. Denver matters most technically (first snow-belt market); Tampa and San Diego matter competitively, boxing Tesla's Sunbelt expansion. The employee-first pattern also shows the go-live playbook is standardized.
What to watch
Public-rider opening dates in each city, winter performance data from Denver, and whether the 1M-rides/week target survives the year.
Who's involved
Alphabet's robotaxi unit; US leader in paid driverless rides and miles.
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