Waymo expands robotaxi service areas in LA, SF

Waymo continues to expand its robotaxi operations in California. The autonomous driving unit of Alphabet is growing its service areas in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, as it looks to attract more riders and grow its business.

Its robotaxis are now available for the first time in the San Francisco Peninsula, which is south of the city. The company is adding 10 square miles to cover Daly City, Broadmoor, and Colma, bringing its total round-the-clock service area in SF to 55 square miles.

Starting today, Waymo is expanding its LA service area to include Marina del Rey, Mar Vista, Playa Vista, and more of Hollywood, Chinatown, and Westwood. Riders can explore a total of 79 square miles of LA County.

Members of the public have taken more than 2 million paid trips, and its robotaxis have driven more than 20 million miles fully autonomously.

“Our team is laser focused on refining Waymo One to be as seamless and useful as possible for our riders,” Saswat Panigrahi, Waymo chief product officer, said. “This means offering exceptional ride quality, short wait times, and more exciting destinations. We’re committed to California, where many of our team members call home, so it’s really special to be able to bring the benefits of full autonomy to even more people in San Francisco and Los Angeles.”

Waymo reaching new milestones

Waymo removed its waitlist in San Francisco in June 2024. It previously welcomed new riders incrementally in the city, and now it’s opening its service to everyone. Since removing its waitlist, the company says it has seen incredible demand from locals and visitors alike in the city.

The company has also made significant progress in LA in 2024. It began commercial operations in the city in March and has had more than 150,000 people sign up for the waitlist. Waymo says it has been scaling to align its vehicle supply with rider demand.

Waymo One has been growing steadily across all three of its commercial service locations, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, Ariz. Currently, the company says it’s serving well over 50,000 paid rides per week across the three cities.

Last month, Alphabet’s chief financial officer Ruth Porat said it’s committing to a multi-year investment of up to $5 billion to Waymo.

“With regard to other bets, we continue to focus on improving overall efficiencies as we invest for long-term returns,” she explained. “Waymo is an important example of this, with its technical leadership coupled with progress on operational performance.”