Waymo Opens Robotaxi Service in Denver, San Diego and Tampa, Reaching 14 U.S. Cities

Waymo opened its robotaxi service to public riders in Denver, San Diego and Tampa on Sept. 1, bringing its fully driverless commercial service to 14 U.S. cities. The company said tens of thousands of people in each city had already signed up. It will admit riders on a rolling basis while it works toward opening to everyone.

“From coast to coast, we’re focused on making everyday transportation safer, easier, and more accessible,” said Suzanne Philion, Waymo’s chief marketing officer. “Launching public rides in San Diego, Tampa, and in my home state of Colorado brings our newest vehicle platform and next-generation driver to more riders who are ready to experience the future of mobility.”

The Ojai’s first solo markets

Waymo’s next-generation robotaxi will be the only vehicle available in Denver and San Diego, TechCrunch reported. That’s the Ojai, a Zeekr-built minivan running Waymo’s sixth-generation driving system. It’s designed to be cheaper to build, operate and maintain than the Jaguar I-Pace. The Ojai fleet is small for now, at about 300 vehicles, but Waymo’s total fleet is now above 4,000.

Denver also gives Waymo a winter climate, which its earlier, mostly Sun Belt markets didn’t. Waymo said it spent months validating its driver on local streets in each city and trained local first responders on how to interact with the vehicles. The company cites its safety data, which shows the Waymo Driver is involved in 94% fewer serious-injury-or-worse crashes than human drivers.

Tesla in Tampa

Tampa puts Waymo in direct competition with Tesla, which now charges for driverless Model Y rides in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando and Tampa, according to TechCrunch. Tesla’s service is limited in some of those markets, and the company is counting on its Cybercab, a two-seater with no steering wheel or pedals, to speed things up.

TechCrunch said Waymo’s growth really took off in March 2025, when it launched in Austin through its partnership with Uber. Since then it has added Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Nashville, Orlando and San Antonio. In August, Nevada regulators approved a permit for up to 1,000 Waymo vehicles in Clark County, home to Las Vegas. Waymo is also planning service in London and Munich.

Local officials welcomed the launches. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said the service “expands clean mobility choices for Coloradans,” and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor called it “another effective – and exciting – way to get around.”