Alphabet unit Waymo turned off the safety driver in Las Vegas on 8 July 2026 and confirmed that Denver, San Diego and Tampa will follow, pushing its fully autonomous robotaxi footprint to 14 U.S. metros as it races toward 1 million paid rides a week by year end.
From Testing To Commercial Service
Waymo said its Las Vegas fleet is running with "no human at the wheel" and told interested riders to download the Waymo app to be notified when service opens in each new city. The company had been testing in the four markets for months with human safety operators, but flipping to "autonomous mode activated" is the milestone that converts a pilot into a real robotaxi service.
3,500 Cars, 20 Million Trips, And A $126B Valuation
Waymo operates roughly 3,500 robotaxis and has surpassed 20 million autonomous trips. Earlier in 2026 it closed a $16 billion funding round at a $126 billion valuation to bankroll the city-by-city rollout, and in May its coverage area passed 1,400 square miles across 11 metros - larger than the state of Rhode Island. The company is also fielding its purpose-built Ojai robotaxi powered by 6th-generation Waymo Driver hardware, its first vehicle designed from scratch rather than retrofitted.
Gap Widens Over Tesla And Zoox
Waymo's aggressive rollout underscores its lead over U.S. rivals. Tesla's Robotaxi service, launched in Austin in mid-2025, still runs a fleet of roughly 20 driverless vehicles across a 245-square-mile Austin operating area and depends on remote operators. Amazon-owned Zoox has just unveiled a production-intent robotaxi and is targeting up to 100 vehicles per week from its Hayward, California factory.
Sun Belt Concentration
Tampa is the notable addition. Waymo's previously disclosed 2026 targets included Washington, Detroit, Las Vegas, San Diego, Denver and Orlando - so Tampa hands the company a second Florida market and further concentrates its growth in the Sun Belt. Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana has framed 1 million weekly rides as an "inflection point" for the business, with international service in London and Tokyo expected to follow.
Reporting based on coverage from Electrek, CNBC, Waymo, Smart Cities Dive and Quasa.