Waymo driverless taxis end waitlist, open service to all customers in San Francisco

Google’s autonomous taxi company Waymo opened its services to all customers in the San Francisco area Tuesday as the company continues to expand and test in new areas.

Until this week, potential customers had to be on a waitlist for a ride in a Waymo robotaxi. According to the company, over 300,000 people — more than a quarter of the city’s population — have requested to ride with Waymo since the company began operations in the city in 2021.

Now anyone who wants to ride with Waymo can access the company’s app to hail a ride.

“We’ve been welcoming new riders to the service incrementally, and we are now excited to open it up to everyone,” Waymo said in a statement.

The decision to open up to all customers in San Francisco follows a significant expansion for Waymo in Phoenix, Arizona, where the company recently doubled its area of operation. Waymo opened its rides to all customers in Phoenix in 2020.

Waymo is currently operating commercially in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix with immediate plans to expand into Austin, Texas.

The expansions come despite a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation after a string of collisions involving Waymo robotaxis. The investigation calls into question Waymo’s safety record and could hurt the company’s ability to convince customers that the technology is safe.

Waymo pushed back against claims that its robotaxis are unsafe, pointing to company data that shows its taxis are nearly four times better than human drivers at avoiding injury-causing collisions.

Since Waymo’s automated taxi technology is not available in the eastern U.S., Waymo conducts road trips around the country to educate interested parties and improve the technology. According to Waymo, road trips are an opportunity to open communication between the company, first responders and local officials in the area. 

Waymo has expanded its road trip testing significantly in 2024, giving out rides in Atlanta, New York City, Buffalo and the District of Columbia.