Waymo Expands Robotaxi Service to Miami

Waymo, the Alphabet-owned autonomous vehicle company, announced Thursday that it will launch its robotaxi service in Miami, Florida, marking a significant expansion of its operations, reports CNBC. This will be Waymo's fourth major metropolitan area launch, following Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

The company will initially deploy vehicles with human safety drivers in 2025, followed by a fully driverless service via its Waymo One app in 2026, the company said in a statement. This expansion signifies Waymo's growing confidence in its technology's ability to navigate challenging weather conditions and complex urban environments. Waymo's foray into Miami builds on its prior testing in the city, which began in 2019. The company notes that this initial testing proved invaluable in enhancing the Waymo Driver's performance in adverse weather conditions, particularly valuable given Miami's susceptibility to heavy rain and hurricanes.

"We deepened our learning and understanding of the Waymo Driver’s performance in adverse weather conditions,” a company spokesperson said.

Waymo's initial Miami service area will encompass parts of the city's broader metropolitan area, which has a population exceeding 6 million. The company's expansion is fueled by recent funding successes, enabling rapid growth in its robotaxi operations. This expansion follows a pattern established in other cities, where Waymo starts with a limited service area and gradually expands as it gains experience and builds confidence in its technology. Similar to the Los Angeles rollout, which began with a smaller service area and a waitlist before expanding to 80 square miles and opening to the general public in November 2024, Miami can likely expect a phased rollout.

In November 2024, Waymo removed its waitlist for its Los Angeles service, making its robotaxis available to anyone within the 80-square-mile service area. Waymo One also operates in Phoenix and San Francisco, boasting over 150,000 paid rides per week across these three cities and driving over 1 million autonomous miles weekly. This substantial growth is partially attributed to a $5.6 billion funding round secured in October 2024, earmarked for US expansion.

Waymo also announced a new partnership with Moove, a mobility company, to manage fleet operations, facilities, and charging infrastructure in both Miami and Phoenix. Moove will begin managing Waymo's Phoenix fleet in early 2025. This partnership will likely play a crucial role in scaling operations and supporting the increasing demand for Waymo's services.

While Waymo is currently the only autonomous vehicle developer operating a commercial robotaxi service in multiple major US metropolitan areas, it faces increasing competition. Competitors include GM-owned Cruise, Tesla, SoftBank-funded Wayve, and Amazon-owned Zoox.