Waymo said Tuesday it will begin offering Robotaxi rides in 2026 via the Waymo One app in Washington, DC.
Before launching commercially, the company needs to upload lobbying games on Capitol on self-driving cars that require people behind the car.
News from Waymo shows that the Alphabet-owned company has aggressively expanded its coverage of Robotaxi, cementing its lead ahead of potential competitors such as Amazon’s Zoox and Elon Musk’s Tesla. Musk said Tesla will launch a Robotakshi service in Austin this summer and in California.
Waymo has already operated commercial services in Phoenix, Los Angeles, the Bay Area and most recently Austin, in partnership with ride hale company Uber. Waymo is also planning to launch Robotaxi services via Uber in Atlanta this year, and has already started employee ferries on fully autonomous vehicles in the city. Miami will appear on Waymo’s 2026 public list alongside DC
To raise even more enthusiasm and awareness, Waymo said it plans to begin mapping in 10 cities this year, including Las Vegas, San Diego and Nashville on Monday.
Waymo’s DC announcement comes two months after the company launched a small test fleet of Jaguar I-Pace Robotaxis in the city. There, they are driven manually and autonomously tested with a safety driver behind the wheel.
Waymo’s business model is conditional on removing human drivers from the vehicle. The company said it will work with policymakers to update the district’s permit rules to allow fully autonomous vehicles to drive on public roads.
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