Waymo Robotaxis to Launch in More Cities Throughout California

Waymo has announced an expansion of its robotaxi services, adding 80 square miles to its coverage in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Silicon Valley as of Tuesday.

As a result of this growth, Waymo’s commercial service area now spans over 250 square miles in California, introducing driverless Jaguar I-Pace vehicles to new regions in three major metropolitan areas. This move comes after recent incidents of vandalism and arson targeting several Waymo robotaxis during protests in Los Angeles against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

The vandalized Waymo robotaxis—images that became emblematic of the protests—caused the company to reduce its operations in Los Angeles. Additionally, on Friday, Waymo enacted further restrictions on its services nationwide in preparation for anticipated larger protests concerning immigration issues.

Waymo’s representative Chris Bonelli stated that the company routinely evaluates and modifies its service based on traffic conditions, special events, and local advisories. He noted that service in certain areas of Los Angeles, including downtown, remains temporarily restricted, but plans to resume service as conditions improve are in place.

Despite these obstacles, it appears that the ambitions of the Alphabet-owned company to explore new markets are unwavering. (The newly added areas in LA are marked in light blue.)

Beginning Tuesday, Waymo will provide its services to passengers in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the communities of Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae, and Burlingame, along with Silicon Valley towns such as Palo Alto and Menlo Park.

Furthermore, Waymo’s service area in LA will expand, starting Wednesday, reaching neighborhoods like Playa del Rey, Ladera Heights, Echo Park, Silver Lake, and the entirety of Sunset Boulevard. Passengers will now have the option to travel from Mid-City to Inglewood and Westchester via La Cienega and La Brea, with the company reporting over 120 square miles of coverage in LA County.

The company has seen a significant increase in weekly paid trips across San Francisco, LA, Phoenix, and Austin, which have escalated five-fold since June 2024. Currently, Waymo facilitates more than a quarter of a million paid trips weekly across these four markets, and its commercial fleet now comprises over 400 vehicles in LA and more than 600 in the San Francisco Bay Area.