Waymo is expanding its Robotaxi service area by an additional 80 square miles in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area and Silicon Valley, the company announced Tuesday.
Waymo’s commercial service area now covers more than 250 square miles of California, pushing unmanned Jaguar I-Pace vehicles into new pockets in the three-populated metro area. The expansion will be over a week after several Waymo Robotaxis were burned and destroyed during the Los Angeles protests over the Trump administration’s immigration attacks.
The Scorched Waymo Robotaxis (pictures that symbolized these protests) urged the company to pull back services in Los Angeles. On Friday, Waymo took additional and limited measures nationwide in preparation for widespread protests against immigration policy.
Waymo spokesman Chris Bonelli said the company is continuously evaluating and adjusting operations based on traffic conditions, special events and local guidance. He confirmed that the company is temporarily restricting Waymo services in some Los Angeles, including downtown, and said it will monitor the evolving situation and enhance its services soon.
However, these cases do not appear to slow down the push for alphabet-owned companies to new markets. (The new LA area will be displayed in light blue.)
From Tuesday, Riders in the San Francisco Bay Area communities of Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae and Burlingame will be available to the services, just like the Silicon Valley towns of Palo Alto and Menlo Park.
Waymo said it will expand its LA service area to neighborhoods throughout Playa del Rey, Ledera Heights, Echo Park, Silver Lake and Sunset Boulevard starting Wednesday. According to Waymo, riders can now travel from Mid-City to Inglewood and Westchester via La Cienega and La Brea.
The company’s growth has increased five times since June 2024 in terms of weekly paid travel across San Francisco, Louisiana, Phoenix and Austin. Today, Waymo offers over 150,000 paid trips per week across these four markets. Waymo’s commercial fleet includes more than 400 vehicles in LA, and more than 600 vehicles in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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