Waymo Launches Robotaxi Service In Miami, Extending US Lead

Waymo has launched its paid robotaxi service in Miami, marking its sixth U.S. market and the company's first expansion of 2026. CNBC reports: As U.S. competition has lagged, Waymo's planned 2026 expansions could lock in rider demand and loyalty in the U.S. To start, Waymo will offer its services within a 60-square-mile area that includes Miami's Design District, Wynwood, Brickell and Coral Gables neighborhoods, the Google sister company said.

The company began testing its vehicles in the Florida city in early 2025. Waymo said it plans to extend its service to the Miami International Airport in the near future, but did not give a specific timeline. The company said "nearly 10,000 residents" of Miami have already signed up to try its robotaxi service, and Waymo will be "inviting new riders on a rolling basis." Riders can hail a Waymo robotaxi in Miami using the company's app. Waymo is partnering with mobility company Moove for fleet management services including vehicle charging, cleaning and repairs.

Miami traffic is legendary

[Powercntrl]

You have to drive very aggressively to get around Miami. I'm imagining you get in a Waymo and it just sits there as everyone else around you just continuously cuts you off.

 

Re: Miami traffic is legendary

[ArmoredDragon]

I see you've never been to Los Angeles

Extending US Lead in What?

[BrendaEM]

They write about a community transportation system owned by billionaires, with a single point of failure--as a good thing? In the even of a real war, those cars will block the streets.

Re:

[dskoll]

The US lead in destroying public transit.

Re: Extending US Lead in What?

[Mr. Dollar Ton]

Lol, this is the stupides thing I read since the start of the year, excluding Leavitt and her boss.

Re:

[larryjoe]

They write about a community transportation system owned by billionaires, with a single point of failure--as a good thing? In the even of a real war, those cars will block the streets.

In the event of a real war, cars blocking streets will not be one of the key worries.

Re:

[timeOday]

You're mis-reading it. It's not saying the US has the lead in self-driving, it's saying Waymo has the lead in the US - and by implication not so much in the rest of the world. As it states:

As U.S. competition has lagged, Waymoâ(TM)s planned 2026 expansions could lock in rider demand and loyalty in the U.S....

The Alphabet company faces its most formidable competition from Baidu-owned Apollo Go and WeRide in Asia, but Amazonâ(TM)s Zoox and Elon Muskâ(TM)s Tesla, along with startups like May

Try it in Boston.

[oh-dark-thirty]

In January. During a 15" snowfall. I dare ya.

Extending US Lead

[rossdee]

But I thought they were getting rid of Lead in gasoline?

Comparisons to AI job loss fears

[Tony Isaac]

Waymo has been operating for 8 years now. Despite the hype, they are moving into one. city. at. a. time. And in the cities where they operate, the area they cover is very limited. 60 square miles sounds like a lot, until you realize that's a square less than 8 miles on each side. The Miami metro area is more than 6,000 square miles. Waymo isn't even predicting yet when they will start taking riders to the airport.

The point is, the rollout will be slow. It will not soon put huge numbers of Uber drivers out of work.

And, this gives us a picture of how AI will roll out. Lots of hype, but in terms of what it actually can do right now, it's just a tiny sliver of white collar work. Getting to a significant percentage is going to take a long, long time. Automation is hard, and it's extremely expensive. That's as true of AI, as it is of self-driving cars.

Re:

[drinkypoo]

And, this gives us a picture of how AI will roll out.

This gives us a picture of the very earliest stages. Once Waymo proves it's viable, it will be easier to get funding, and more firms will pop into existence. Also by that time more of the competing tech will be viable, to enable them.

Re:

[Tony Isaac]

Sure, over time, driverless cars will probably take major portions of the taxi and rideshare markets. The automobile also took the vast majority of jobs related to carriage driving and the care of horses. But the transition was not sudden, it took decades, giving society a chance to adjust. That is the point, the transition to self-driving cars, and to AI, is not going to be sudden, it's going to be slow. And we will adjust. New jobs will emerge, just as they have after every single other automation technol