Waymo begins offering paid robotaxi rides in Denver, San Diego, and Tampa

Waymo just made three more cities a little less dependent on human drivers. The Alphabet-owned autonomous vehicle company launched paid public robotaxi service in Denver, San Diego, and Tampa on September 1, 2026, bringing its total footprint to 14 US markets.

What the rollout actually looks like

Each of the three new cities starts with dozens of vehicles, scaling toward hundreds over time, covering roughly 150 square miles of service territory per market.

The primary vehicle is Waymo’s new Ojai minivan, built on the Zeekr platform and equipped with sixth-generation Driver technology.

Access is rolling out gradually to tens of thousands of users who have already signed up through the Waymo app in each city.

Denver and San Diego each went through employee-only testing phases beginning in July 2026, giving Waymo roughly two months of real-world data before opening the doors to paying customers. Tampa follows the same playbook.

Waymo also partnered with AARP Florida ahead of the Tampa launch, a signal that the company is thinking beyond tech-forward early adopters and toward demographics that might benefit most from driverless transportation, specifically older adults who face mobility challenges.

The numbers behind the expansion

Waymo’s fleet now exceeds 4,000 vehicles nationwide, and the company is currently delivering more than 500,000 paid rides every week. The target is 1 million weekly rides by the end of 2026.

Waymo claims its autonomous system is 94% less likely to be involved in a serious injury accident compared to a human driver.

Goldman Sachs projects the US robotaxi sector will grow from $3 billion to $19 billion by 2030, and potentially reach $48 billion by 2035.

The competitive backdrop and what comes next

Waymo is not operating in a vacuum. Tesla has been expanding its own driverless ride-hailing ambitions, and Amazon-backed Zoox continues to develop its purpose-built robotaxi vehicle.

Waymo’s international ambitions add another layer to the strategic picture. The company has signaled future service plans in Tokyo, Munich, and London.

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