Jump to content

Waymo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Autonomous car technology company
This article contains an excessive amount of intricate detail. Please help improve it by spinning off or relocating relevant information and removing excessive detail that goes against Wikipedia's inclusion policy. (February 2026) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Waymo LLC
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryAutonomous cars
PredecessorGoogle Self-Driving Car Project
Founded
  • 2004; 22 years ago (2004) (as Stanford Self-Driving Car Team)
  • January 17, 2009; 17 years ago (January 17, 2009) (as the Google Self-Driving Car Project)
  • December 13, 2016; 9 years ago (2016-12-13) (as Waymo)
Founder
Headquarters,
United States
Area served
  • United States
  • More information: SS Services
Key people
Number of employees
2,500 (2025)[1]
Parent
Websitewaymo.com
Waymo Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid undergoing testing in the San Francisco Bay Area (2017)

Waymo LLC (/weImoU/ WAY-moh), formerly known as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, is an American autonomous driving technology company headquartered in Mountain View, California. It is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company. Waymo operates commercial robotaxi services available to the public in Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles,[2] Atlanta, and Austin.[3] As of December 2025[update], it operates over 450,000 rides per week.[4]

The company traces its origins to the Stanford Racing Team, which competed in the 2005 and 2007 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenges.[5] Google's development of self-driving technology began in January 2009. After almost two years of road testing, the project was revealed in October 2010.[6][++ 1][7] In December 2016, the project was renamed Waymo and spun out of Google as part of Alphabet.[++ 2] In October 2020, Waymo became the first company to offer service to the public without safety drivers in the vehicle.[8][9][10][11]

Waymo is run by co-CEOs Tekedra Mawakana and Dmitri Dolgov.[12] The company raised US$5.5 billion in multiple outside funding rounds[13] by 2022 and raised $5.6 billion funding in 2024.[14]

Waymo has been involved in numerous controversial incidents such as illegally passing school buses repeatedly, speeding down a residential street hitting parked cars and an incident where a Waymo fully autonomous vehicle struck a child. National Transportation Safety Board and NHTSA have opened an investigation into Waymo in January 2026 which include investigation into behaviors around schools and post-incident handling.[15][16][17]

History

[edit]
A Toyota Prius modified to operate as a Google driverless car, navigating a test course[++ 3] (2011)

Ground work

[edit]

Google's development of self-driving technology began on January 17, 2009,[++ 4] at Google X lab, run by co-founder Sergey Brin.[18] The project was launched at Google by Sebastian Thrun, the former director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL) and Anthony Levandowski, founder of 510 Systems and Anthony's Robots.[19][20]

The initial software code and artificial intelligence (AI) design of the effort started before the team worked at Google, when Thrun and 15 engineers, including Dmitri Dolgov, Mike Montemerlo, Hendrik Dahlkamp, Sven Strohband, and David Stavens, built Stanley and Junior, Stanford's entries in the 2005 and 2007 DARPA Challenges. Later, aspects of this technology were used in a digital mapping project for SAIL called VuTool.[21][22][6] In 2007, Google acqui-hired the entire VuTool team to help advance Google's Street View technology.[21][22][++ 1][23]

As part of Street View development, 100 Toyota Priuses[20] were outfitted with Topcon digital mapping hardware developed by 510 Systems.[24][22][20]

In 2008, the Street View team launched project Ground Truth,[25] to create accurate road maps by extracting data from satellites and street views.[26]

Pribot

[edit]

In February 2008, a Discovery Channel producer for the documentary series Prototype This! phoned Levandowski.[22][27] The producer requested to borrow Levandowski's Ghost Rider, the autonomous two-wheeled motorcycle Levandowski's Berkeley team had built for the 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge[5] that Levandowski had later donated to the Smithsonian.[28] Since the motorcycle was not available, Levandowski offered to retrofit a Toyota Prius as a self-driving pizza delivery car for the show.[22]

As a Google employee, Levandowski asked Larry Page and Thrun whether Google was interested in participating in the show. Both declined, citing liability issues.[5] However, they authorized Levandowski to move forward with the project, as long as it was not associated with Google.[22][29] Within weeks Levandowski founded Anthony's Robots to do so.[21] He retrofitted the car with light detection and ranging technology (lidar), sensors, and cameras. The Stanford team behind the Stanley car provided its code base to the project.[5] The ensuing episode depicting Pribot delivering pizza across the San Francisco Bay Bridge under police escort aired in December 2008.[30][19][29][31]

The project success led Google to greenlight Google's self-driving car program in January 2009.[5] In 2011, Google acquired 510 Systems (co-founded by Levandowski, Pierre-Yves Droz and Andrew Schultz), and Anthony's Robots for an estimated US$20 million.[24][21][30][19][32] Levandowski's vehicle and hardware, and Stanford's AI technology and software, became the nucleus of the project.[5]

A Firefly self-driving Waymo car (2017)

Project Chauffeur

[edit]

After almost two years of road testing with seven vehicles, the New York Times revealed the existence of Google's project on October 9, 2010.[6] Google announced its initiative later the same day.[7]

Starting in 2010, lawmakers in various states expressed concerns over how to regulate autonomous vehicles. A related Nevada law went into effect on March 1, 2012.[33] Google had been lobbying for such laws.[34][35][36] A modified Prius was licensed by the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in May 2012.[37] The car was "driven" by Chris Urmson with Levandowski in the passenger seat.[37] This was the first US license for a self-driven car.[33]

In January 2014[38] Google was granted a patent for a transportation service funded by advertising that included autonomous vehicles as a transport method.[39] In late May, Google revealed an autonomous prototype, which had no steering wheel, gas pedal, or brake pedal.[++ 5][40] In December, Google unveiled a Firefly prototype that was planned to be tested on San Francisco Bay Area roads beginning in early 2015.[41][42]

A self-driving car with the previous Google branding (2016)

In 2015, Levandowski left the project. In August 2015, Google hired former Hyundai Motor executive, John Krafcik, as CEO.[43] In fall 2015, Google for the first time to non-employees provided a ride in a fully autonomous vehicle in Austin, Texas. The passenger was a blind man. It was the first entirely autonomous trip on a public road. It was not accompanied by a test driver or police escort.[44][45] The car had no steering wheel or floor pedals.[46] By the end of 2015, Project Chauffeur had covered more than a million miles.[24]

Google spent $1.1 billion on the project between 2009 and 2015. For comparison, the acquisition of Cruise Automation by General Motors in March 2016 was for $500 million, and Uber's acquisition of Otto in August 2016 was for $680 million.[47]

Waymo

[edit]

In May 2016, Google and Stellantis announced an order of 100 Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans to test the self-driving technology.[48] In December 2016, the project changed its name to Waymo and spun out of Google as part of Alphabet.[++ 2] The name was derived from "a new way forward in mobility".[49] In May 2016, the company opened a 53,000-square-foot (4,900 m2) technology center in Novi, Michigan.[++ 6]

In 2017, Waymo sued Uber for allegedly stealing trade secrets.[23] Waymo began testing minivans without a safety driver on public roads in Chandler, Arizona, in October 2017.[50] In 2017, Waymo unveiled new sensors and chips that are less expensive to manufacture, cameras that improve visibility, and wipers to clear the lidar system.[51] At the beginning of the self-driving car program, they used a $75,000 lidar system from Velodyne.[52] In 2017, the cost decreased approximately 90 percent, as Waymo converted to in-house built lidar.[53] Waymo has applied its technology to various cars including the Prius, Audi TT, Chrysler Pacifica, and Lexus RX450h.[54][55] Waymo partners with Lyft on pilot projects and product development.[56]

Waymo started testing in Phoenix without safety drivers in November 2017.[57]

Waymo-operated Jaguar I-Pace in San Francisco (2023)

In March 2018, Jaguar Land Rover announced that Waymo had ordered up to 20,000 of its I-Pace electric SUVs at an estimated cost of more than $1 billion.[58][59] In late May 2018, Alphabet announced plans to add up to 62,000 Pacifica Hybrid minivans to the fleet.[60][61] Also in May 2018, Waymo established Huimo Business Consulting subsidiary in Shanghai.[62]

In October 2018, the California Department of Motor Vehicles issued a permit for Waymo to operate cars without safety drivers. Waymo was the first company to receive a permit for day and night testing on public roads and highways. Waymo announced that its service would include Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Los Altos, and Palo Alto.[63] In July 2019, Waymo received permission to transport passengers.[64]

In December 2018, Waymo launched Waymo One in Phoenix, transporting passengers. The service used safety drivers to monitor some rides, with others provided in select areas without them. In November 2019, Waymo One became the first autonomous service worldwide to operate without safety drivers.[65][66][67] Waymo One launched in San Francisco, beginning with a "trusted tester" rollout.[68] In March 2022, Waymo began offering rides for Waymo staff in San Francisco without a safety driver.[69]

In April 2019, Waymo announced plans for vehicle assembly in Detroit at the former American Axle & Manufacturing plant, bringing between 100 and 400 jobs to the area. Waymo used vehicle assembler Magna to turn Jaguar I-PACE electric SUVs and Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans into Waymo Level 4 autonomous vehicles.[70][71] Waymo subsequently reverted to retrofitting existing models rather than a custom design.[72]

In March 2020, Waymo Via was launched after the company's announcement that it had raised $2.25 billion from investors.[73] In May 2020, Waymo raised an additional $750 million.[74] In July 2020, the company announced an exclusive partnership with auto manufacturer Volvo to integrate Waymo technology.[75]

In April 2021, Krafcik was replaced by two co-CEOs: Waymo's COO Tekedra Mawakana and CTO Dmitri Dolgov.[76] Waymo raised $2.5 billion in another funding round in June 2021,[77][78] with total funding of $5.5 billion.[13] Waymo launched a consumer testing program in San Francisco in August 2021.[79][80]

In May 2022, Waymo started a pilot program seeking riders in downtown Phoenix, Arizona.[79][80] In May 2022, Waymo announced that it would expand the program to more areas of Phoenix.[81] In 2023, coverage of the Waymo One area was increased by 45 square miles (120 km2), expanding to include downtown Mesa, uptown Phoenix, and South Mountain Village.[82][83][84]

In June 2022, Waymo announced a partnership with Uber, under which Waymo will integrate its autonomous technology into Uber's freight truck service.[85] Plans to expand the program to Los Angeles were announced in late 2022.[86] On December 13, 2022, Waymo applied for the final permit necessary to operate fully autonomous taxis, without a backup driver present, within the state of California.[87]

In January 2023, The Information reported that Waymo staff were among those affected by Google's layoffs of around 12,000 workers. TechCrunch reported that Waymo was set to kill its trucking program.[88]

In July 2024, Waymo began testing its sixth-generation robotaxis which are based on electric vehicles by Chinese automobile company Zeekr, developed in a partnership first announced in 2021.[89][90] They were anticipated to reduce costs, at a time when Waymo was operating at a loss.[89]

Sixth generation Zeekr vehicles.

In October 2024, Waymo closed a $5.6 billion funding round led by Alphabet, aimed at expanding its robotaxi services, bringing its total capital to over $11 billion.[14] Around that time, the New York Times described Waymo as being "far ahead of the competition", in particular after Cruise had to suspend its operations after an accident in 2023.[89]

Also in November 2025, the permit area in Northern California was expanded to include Santa Rosa and Sacramento. The Southern California permit area was expanded to stretch from the Mexican border to Ventura County.[91] These new permit areas were approved by the California Department of Motor Vehicles.[92] The permit area of the DMV is larger than the operating area. The operating area is slated to get expanded to cover San Diego in mid-2026.[92]

Lobbying

[edit]

In 2024, Waymo had spent $1.7 million on lobbying.[93]

As of January 2026, Waymo has spent $1.8 million since 2019 on lobbying effort in the State of New York[94]

Services

[edit]

In 2017, Waymo highlighted four specific business uses for its autonomous tech: robotaxis, trucking and logistics, urban public transportation, and passenger cars.[95]

Robotaxis

[edit]
The interior of a Waymo Jaguar I-Pace robotaxi as it autonomously drives through San Francisco

Waymo currently serves select cities in the United States, and has announced future expansion into Japan and the United Kingdom.

As of November 2025[update], Waymo has 2,500 robotaxis in service.[96] As of December 2025[update], Waymo provided 450,000 paid rides per week.[4] By the end of 2026, Waymo aims to increase this to 1 million taxi rides a week. The company is laying the groundwork to expand to over 20 cities, including London and Tokyo, up from the current six.[97]

United States

[edit]
Waymo service areas in the United States
Service areas in the United States[++ 7]
State Metro area Status Launch date Area served[++ 8] Ref.
Arizona Phoenix Full commercial service October 8, 2020 [++ 9]
California Los Angeles Full commercial service November 12, 2024 [++ 10]
San Diego Service announced Mid-2026 -- [++ 11][98][99]
San Francisco Bay Area Full commercial service June 25, 2024 [++ 12]
Colorado Denver Service announced -- -- [++ 13][100][101]
Florida Miami Waitlist service 2026 [++ 14][102][103]
Orlando Service announced 2026 -- [++ 15][104][105]
Tampa Testing -- -- [++ 16][106][107]
Georgia Atlanta Full commercial service with Uber June 24, 2025 [108]
Louisiana New Orleans Testing -- -- [++ 17][106][109]
Maryland Baltimore Testing -- -- [++ 18][110][111]
Massachusetts Boston Testing -- -- [++ 7][112][113]
Michigan Detroit Service announced 2026 -- [++ 19][98][114]
Minnesota Minneapolis Testing -- -- [++ 20][106][115]
Missouri St. Louis Testing -- -- [++ 21][111][116]
Nevada Las Vegas Service announced Summer 2026 -- [++ 22][98][117]
New Jersey New York Testing -- -- [118][119]
New York Buffalo Testing -- -- [++ 7][120][121]
New York Testing -- -- [++ 23][122][123]
Pennsylvania Philadelphia Testing -- -- [++ 24][124][125]
Pittsburgh Testing -- -- [++ 25][111][126]
Tennessee Nashville Service announced 2026 -- [++ 26][127][128]
Texas Austin Full commercial service with Uber March 4, 2025 [++ 27]
Dallas Service announced 2026 -- [++ 28][++ 15][129][130]
Houston Service announced -- -- [++ 15][131][132]
San Antonio Service announced 2026 -- [++ 15][133][134]
Washington Seattle Testing -- -- [++ 29][100][135]
Washington, D.C. Service announced 2026 -- [++ 30][136][137]
Airport service in the United States
State Airport Status Launch date Ref.
Arizona Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Full commercial service November 1, 2022 [++ 31]
California San Francisco International Airport Waitlist service 2026 [++ 32][138][139]
San Jose International Airport Full commercial service December 1, 2025 [++ 33][++ 34]
Florida Miami International Airport Testing -- [++ 35][140][141]
New Jersey Newark Liberty International Airport Testing -- [118][119]
Texas Dallas Love Field Testing -- [++ 36]
San Antonio International Airport Testing -- [++ 36]

Other potential expansion:

Japan

[edit]
Service areas in Japan[++ 7]
City Status Launch date Ref.
Tokyo Testing 2026 [++ 38][146][147]

United Kingdom

[edit]
Service areas in the United Kingdom[++ 7]
Country City Status Launch date Ref.
England London Testing September 2026 [++ 39][148][149]

Potential expansion to other countries

[edit]

Public transit

[edit]

In September 2025, Waymo and the city of Chandler, Arizona announced that Waymo would be integrated into Chandler's public microtransit service.[154][155][156][157]

Trucking

[edit]

In 2020 Waymo launched a self-driving truck development division designated as Waymo Via, to work with OEMs to integrate its technology into commercial vehicles.[158][73][++ 40] The company began testing Class 8 tractor-trailers[159] in 2018 in Atlanta,[159] expanding in 2019 to southwest shipping routes across Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.[158] The company opened a trucking hub in Dallas, Texas in 2021.[160] It partnered with Daimler to integrate autonomous technology into a fleet of Freightliner Cascadia trucks.[161] Waymo operated 48 Class 8 autonomous trucks with safety drivers.[162]

Waymo tested its technology in commercial delivery vehicles with United Parcel Service.[163][164] In July 2020 Waymo and Stellantis expanded their partnership, including the development of Ram ProMaster delivery vehicles.[165]

In July 2023, Waymo announced that it was moving away from commercial development of self-driving trucks to focus on the ride-hailing Waymo business, and shuttered the Waymo Via trucking program. The vast majority of employees who were on Waymo's trucking team moved to other roles within the company.[166]

Delivery

[edit]

Waymo has partnered with Uber Eats and DoorDash to deliver food.[++ 41][167][168][169][170]

Technology

[edit]

Google has invested heavily in matrix multiplication and video processing hardware such as the Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) to augment Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs) and Intel central processing units (CPUs).[171] Much of this is kept as trade secrets, but transformer technology is likely involved.[172]

Waymo manufactures a suite of self-driving hardware developed in-house.[173] This includes sensors and hardware-enhanced vision system, radar, and lidar.[57][173] Sensors give 360-degree views while lidar detects objects up to 300 metres (980 ft) away.[57] Short-range lidar images objects near the vehicle, while radar is used to see around other vehicles and track objects in motion.[57]

Riders push a button to "start ride", and have optional "help", "lock", and "pull over" buttons, if needed. The ride usually completes without pressing any button after starting the ride. The car's steering wheel turns as the car makes turns, and a passenger may sit in the right-front passenger seat, if desired. Passengers see on a screen a display of some of the stream of information gathered by the car's sensors, including pedestrians.[174]

Waymo's deep-learning architecture VectorNet predicts vehicle trajectories in complex traffic scenarios. It uses a graph neural network to model the interactions between vehicles and has demonstrated state-of-the-art performance on several benchmark datasets for trajectory prediction.[175]

Waymo Carcraft is a virtual world in which Waymo simulates driving conditions.[176][177] The simulator was named after the video game World of Warcraft.[176][177] With Carcraft, 25,000 virtual self-driving cars navigate through models of Austin, Texas; Mountain View, California; Phoenix, Arizona, and other cities.[176]

As of November 2025[update], most of Waymo's robotaxis are customized Jaguar I-Pace cars. Waymo plans to introduce Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Zeekr Ojai cars in the future.[++ 42][++ 43]

According to Dolgov, customizing the vehicles adds up to $100,000 to vehicle costs.[89] Other costs include technicians that monitor rides, service personnel, and real estate for storing and charging the vehicles.[89]

Operations and efficiency

[edit]

From California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) data[178], as of September 2025, Waymo delivered 4.75 million Passenger Miles Traveled (PMT) monthly, which required 6.57 million Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). This is over a 3 fold growth from September 2024 in both PMT and VMT, with the ratio staying roughly equal.

In ~70% of the trips, only 1 passenger is in the car, while 4.6% of requested trips are cancelled. ~56% of vehicle distance traveled contains one or more passengers, while ~44% of miles the AVs are empty. Together, this results in an average passenger occupancy of ~0.75.[178]

Incidents and controversies

[edit]

Accidents

[edit]

As of December 15, 2025[update], the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has logged 1,512 accidents involving Waymo vehicles in autonomous mode.[179] The NHTSA requires Waymo to report any accidents which result in injury or property damage that occur within 30 seconds of the vehicle operating in autonomous mode.[180] From July 2021, when the NHTSA started requiring autonomous vehicle companies to report their accidents, to January 2025, Waymo's vehicles have been involved in about 30 accidents with injuries, though the NHTSA reports do not ascribe fault.[181]

Some examples of Waymo accidents:

  • In May 2023, a Waymo hit and killed a dog which ran out into the street in front of the car.[182][180] According to Waymo, its car detected the dog, while the human safety driver did not, and that whether the vehicle would take evasive maneuvers or not depends on the expected trajectory of the dog.[180] Waymo compares the performance of its autonomous systems to a theoretical Non-Impaired, with Eyes Always ON the conflict (NIEON) human driver's expected performance.[180]
  • On December 11, 2023, two Waymo cars hit a tow truck minutes apart from each other; Waymo recalled its software in response.[183][184]
  • On February 6, 2024, a Waymo hit and injured a cyclist who was obstructed behind an oncoming truck.[185][186]
  • On May 21, 2024, a Waymo hit a utility pole; Waymo recalled its software in response.[187][188][189]
  • On January 19, 2025, an empty Waymo was stopped in a line of cars when a speeding driver rear-ended the line, killing a passenger and a dog in another car; this was the first fatal crash involving Waymo.[181][190]
  • On February 16, 2025, a cyclist was hospitalized after being doored by a Waymo passenger; the cyclist sued Waymo, alleging that it had stopped in an unsafe location and failed to warn the passengers before exiting.[191][192]
  • On October 27, 2025, a Waymo in San Francisco hit and killed KitKat, a local bodega cat, after he darted under the car as it was pulling away.[193] In response, Supervisor Jackie Fielder called for the state to pass legislation allowing local governments to ban self-driving cars.[194]
  • On November 30, 2025, a Waymo hit and killed a dog.[195][196] According to the dog's owner, Waymo failed to notice what had happened and continued on after the collision.[196]
  • On December 8, 2025, two Waymos collided.[197][198]
  • On January 23, 2026, a Waymo hit a child crossing the street, who suffered minor injures. The NHTSA opened an investigation into Waymo. According to Waymo, the child was hidden behind an SUV, and the Waymo car braked as soon as the child became visible but was unable to avoid contact.[199][200][201]
[edit]
  • In February 2017, Waymo sued Uber and its subsidiary self-driving trucking company, Otto, alleging trade secret theft and patent infringement. The company claimed that three ex-Google employees, including Anthony Levandowski, had stolen trade secrets, including thousands of files, from Google before joining Uber.[202] The alleged infringement was related to Waymo's proprietary lidar technology,[203][204] Google accused Uber of colluding with Levandowski.[205] Levandowski allegedly downloaded 9 gigabytes of data that included over a hundred trade secrets; eight of which were at stake during the trial.[206][207] An ensuing settlement gave Waymo 0.34% of Uber stock,[202] the equivalent of $245 million. Uber agreed not to infringe Waymo's intellectual property.[208] Part of the agreement included a guarantee that "Waymo confidential information is not being incorporated in Uber Advanced Technologies Group hardware and software."[209] In statements released after the settlement, Uber maintained that it received no trade secrets.[210] In May, according to an Uber spokesman, Uber had fired Levandowski, which resulted in the loss of roughly $250 million of his equity in Uber, which almost exactly equaled the settlement.[202] Uber announced that it was halting production of self-driving trucks through Otto in July 2018, and the subsidiary company was shuttered.[211]
  • In January 2022, Waymo sued the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to prevent data on driverless crashes from being released to the public. Waymo maintained that such information constituted a trade secret.[212] According to The Los Angeles Times, the "topics Waymo wants to keep hidden include how it plans to handle driverless car emergencies, what it would do if a robot taxi started driving itself where it wasn't supposed to go, and what constraints there are on the car's ability to traverse San Francisco's tunnels, tight curves and steep hills."[213] Court ruled some details regarding safety records do not have to be released.[214]
  • In January 2024, the city attorney of San Francisco attempted to sue to prevent expansion of driverless vehicles including Waymo into San Francisco.[215] San Mateo County government soon after also sent a letter to regulators opposing expansion to its county.[216]
  • In May 2024, the NHTSA launched an investigation into potential flaws in Waymo vehicles, focusing on 31 incidents that included Waymo vehicles ramming into a closing gate, driving on the wrong side of the road, and at least 17 crashes or fires.[217] Waymo recalled its self-driving software in May 2025.[218][219] The investigation was closed in July 2025 with no further action taken.[220]
  • In July 2025, anti-Waymo protestors in Boston were joined by city officials, who expressed concerns over safety and the impact on rideshare drivers.[221] Eight city councillors proposed an ordinance to restrict self-driving car services in Boston, with one provision requiring safety drivers.[222]
  • In September 2025, police in San Bruno, California pulled over a Waymo after it made an illegal U-turn.[223][224][225]
  • In October 2025, the NHTSA launched an investigation into Waymo cars illegally passing stopped school buses.[226]
    • In September, a Waymo in Atlanta was recorded illegally passing a stopped school bus.[227][228] Georgia State Representative Clint Crowe and State Senator Rick Williams criticized Waymo, with Williams stating his support for higher fines for self-driving cars.[229]
    • Austin Independent School District (AISD) revealed that Waymo cars had illegally passed its school buses 20 times from the start of the school year to December 1,[230] and asked Waymo to stop its operations during school drop-off and pick-up hours, but Waymo refused.[231]
    • Atlanta Public Schools later revealed six illegal passing incidents.[232]
    • Waymo recalled its self-driving software on December 8.[233][234]
    • As of January 15, 2026[update], AISD has reported four violations since the recall.[235]
    • The NHTSA launched a second investigation on January 23.[236]
  • In November 2025, a man sued Waymo after he was falsely identified as a terrorist on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List and denied access to Waymo.[237][238]
  • In November 2025, New Jersey State Senator Andrew Zwicker proposed a bill to require a three-year pilot project for self-driving cars, with a safety driver present at all times; Waymo opposes the bill.[239]
  • In November 2025, San Diego City Council member Sean Elo-Rivera opposed Waymo expansion, citing the impact on taxi and rideshare drivers.[240] In January 2026, the board of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System passed a resolution opposing Waymo expansion.[241]
  • In November 2025, the city of Santa Monica, California banned Waymo from charging its vehicles between 11PM and 6AM, claiming that two of their charging stations are public nuisances, due to complaints from residents nearby about noise and light pollution.[242][243][244] Waymo continued using the stations, and instead sued the city to ask a court to declare their operations not a nuisance, while the city responded with a countersuit saying that they are a nuisance.[245][244][246][243]
  • In December 2025, several members of the Minneapolis City Council opposed Waymo expansion, citing the impact on taxi and rideshare drivers.[247]

Vandalism

[edit]

In 2018, after the death of Elaine Herzberg -- the first recorded case of a pedestrian fatality involving a self-driving car -- there were several cases of Waymo cars being vandalized.[248]

In 2023, the San Francisco group Safe Street Rebel used a practice called "coning" to trap Waymo and Cruise cars with traffic cones as a form of protest after claiming that the cars had been involved in hundreds of incidents.[249]

In February 2024, during Lunar New Year celebrations in Chinatown, San Francisco, a mob of vandals attacked, graffitied, and set fire to a Waymo car. No one was injured.[250][251]

In February 2024, a pair of Waymo passengers described an attack by an onlooker who attempted to cover the car's sensors.[252]

In July 2024, Waymo sued two people who allegedly vandalized their cars.[253]

During the June 2025 Los Angeles protests against mass deportation, several Waymo cars were set on fire when riots broke out. Officials including California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned the destruction, attributing it to extremists infiltrating otherwise-peaceful protests. Use of Waymo camera footage by police has been cited as a possible reason for the targeting of Waymo cars.[254]

Other incidents

[edit]
  • In 2021, it was noted that Waymo cars kept routing through the Richmond District of San Francisco, with up to 50 cars each day driving to a dead end street before turning around.[255][256][257]
  • In August 2024, residents of San Francisco's SoMa district began to complain about noise pollution from Waymo vehicles honking at each other in a local parking lot. Residents reported that the car horns could be heard daily, with varying levels of activity, usually peaking at around 4 AM and during evening rush hour. The honking appears to have been triggered by the self-driving cars backing in and out of the lot.[258][259] The story caught attention after a resident began live streaming the cars. Waymo apologized and admitted that it was a snag up that will be addressed with software updates.[260]
  • In December 2024, a Waymo car drove in circles around a parking lot with a passenger inside, which took several minutes to resolve remotely. Waymo claims to have fixed the issue.[261][262]
  • In April 2025:
    • A Waymo car got stuck in a drive-thru.[263][264][265]
    • A Waymo passenger reported being trapped in the car after it drove the wrong way and stopped in the middle of the road. According to Waymo, one of the passengers pressed the "pull over" button, and the passengers could have unlocked the doors by pulling twice.[266][267][268]
  • In November 2025, a Waymo car drove right next to an ongoing felony traffic stop.[269][270][271] The vehicle was given command by a police officer in how to proceed, however it did not comply with the directions of the officer.[269]
  • In December 2025:
    • A Waymo passenger found a person hiding in the trunk of the car; Waymo was criticized for not having a system to detect this.[272][273]
    • A Waymo car got stuck on a bridge in the Venice Canal Historic District during a parade.[274][275][276]
    • A Waymo car drove the wrong way on a one-way street.[277][278][279]
    • Waymo cars became inoperable during a large-scale power outage in San Francisco, blocking traffic and intersections. In response, Waymo temporarily halted ride-hailing services until power was restored.[280][281] Authorities expressed concern that similar behavior during a disaster would block emergency responders and residents fleeing danger.[282]
  • In January 2026, a Waymo car drove on newly-built light rail tracks.[283][284][285]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Chow, Andrew R. (June 26, 2025). "Waymo's Self-Driving Future Is Here". Time. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  2. ^ Knoll, Corina (March 20, 2024). "When Nobody Is Behind the Wheel in Car-Obsessed Los Angeles". The New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  3. ^ Muller, Joann (March 4, 2025). "Waymo autonomous vehicles launch on Uber network in Austin". Axios.
  4. ^ a b Wu, Jasmine; Bosa, Deirdre (December 8, 2025). "Waymo crosses 450,000 weekly paid rides as Alphabet robotaxi unit widens lead on Tesla". CNBC. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "How a robot lover pioneered the driverless car, and why he's selling his latest to Uber". The Guardian. August 19, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Markoff, John (October 9, 2010). "Google Cars Drive Themselves, in Traffic". The New York Times. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  7. ^ a b "Anthony Levandowski pleads guilty to one count of trade secrets theft under plea deal". TechCrunch. March 20, 2020. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  8. ^ "Waymo launches its first commercial self-driving car service". Engadget. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  9. ^ White, Joseph (October 8, 2020). "Waymo opens driverless robo-taxi service to the public in Phoenix". Reuters. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  10. ^ "Waymo Relaunches Driverless Ride Sharing". All About Arizona News. October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  11. ^ Hawkins, Andrew J. (December 9, 2019). "Waymo's driverless car: ghost-riding in the back seat of a robot taxi". The Verge.
  12. ^ "Waymo CEO John Krafcik steps aside as co-CEO's take over". CNBC. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Fannin, Rebecca (May 21, 2022). "Where the billions spent on autonomous vehicles by U.S. and Chinese giants is heading". CNBC. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Kolodny, Lora (October 25, 2024). "Alphabet's self-driving unit Waymo closes $5.6 billion funding round as robotaxi race heats up in the U.S." CNBC. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  15. ^ Kolodny, Lora (January 29, 2026). "A Waymo hit a child near an elementary school. The NHTSA is investigating". CNBC. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  16. ^ Shepardson, David (January 29, 2026). "US opens probe after Waymo self-driving vehicle strikes child near school, causing minor injuries". Reuters. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  17. ^ "NTSB opens investigation into Waymo robotaxis for improperly passing school buses in Texas - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. January 23, 2026. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  18. ^ "Google's self-driving-car project becomes a separate company: Waymo". Associated Press. December 13, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  19. ^ a b c "The Unknown Start-up That Built Google's First Self-Driving Car". IEEE Spectrum: Technology, Engineering, and Science News. November 19, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2020. Though Google has portrayed Thrun as its "godfather" of self-driving, a review of the available evidence suggests that the motivating force behind the company's program was actually Levandowski
  20. ^ a b c "God Is a Bot, and Anthony Levandowski Is His Messenger | Backchannel". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  21. ^ a b c d Higgins, Jack Nicas and Tim (May 23, 2017). "Google vs. Uber: How One Engineer Sparked a War". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  22. ^ a b c d e f "Fury Road: Did Uber Steal the Driverless Future From Google?". Bloomberg.com. March 16, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  23. ^ a b Hull, Dana (October 30, 2017). "The PayPal Mafia of Self-Driving Cars Has Been at It a Decade". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  24. ^ a b c Duhigg, Charles (October 15, 2018). "Did Uber Steal Google's Intellectual Property?". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  25. ^ Miller, Greg (December 8, 2014). "The Huge, Unseen Operation Behind the Accuracy of Google Maps". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  26. ^ Goddard, Megan. "Project Ground Truth: Accurate Maps via Algorithms and Elbow Grease" (PDF). Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  27. ^ Bilger, Burkhard (November 18, 2013). "Has the Self-Driving Car Arrived at Last?". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  28. ^ ""Ghostrider" Robot Motorcycle". National Museum of American History. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  29. ^ a b McCullagh, Declan. "Robotic Prius takes itself for a spin around SF". CNET. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  30. ^ a b "How Anthony Levandowski Put Himself at the Center of an Industry". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  31. ^ "Automated Pizza Delivery". Discovery. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  32. ^ Ohnsman, Alan. "Anthony Levandowski, The Fallen Self-Driving Tech Star Who Triggered Waymo-Uber Legal Battle, Ordered To Pay Google $179 Million". Forbes. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  33. ^ a b Slosson, Mary (May 8, 2012). "Google gets first self-driven car license in Nevada". Reuters. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
  34. ^ "Nevada enacts law authorizing autonomous (driverless) vehicles". Green Car Congress. June 25, 2011. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  35. ^ Knapp, Alex (June 22, 2011). "Nevada Passes Law Authorizing Driverless Cars". Forbes. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  36. ^ Markoff, John (May 10, 2011). "Google Lobbies Nevada To Allow Self-Driving Cars". The New York Times. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  37. ^ a b Harris, Mark (September 10, 2014). "How Google's Autonomous Car Passed the First U.S. State Self-Driving Test". IEEE Spectrum: Technology, Engineering, and Science News. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  38. ^ Davies, Billy (January 24, 2014). "The future of urban transport: The self-driving car club". zodiacmedia.co.uk. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  39. ^ B1 US patent 8630897 B1, Luis Ricardo Prada Gomez; Andrew Timothy Szybalski Sebastian Thrun & Philip Nemec et al., "Transportation-aware physical advertising conversions", published January 14, 2014, assigned to Google Inc
  40. ^ Gannes, Liz (May 27, 2014). "Google Introduces New Self Driving Car at the Code Conference - Re/code". Re/code.
  41. ^ "Google's 'goofy' new self-driving car a sign of things to come". Mercury News. December 22, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
  42. ^ Lynch, Jim (June 13, 2017). "Waymo retires Firefly test cars, focuses on Pacificas". The Detroit News. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  43. ^ Wakabayashi, Daisuke (December 13, 2016). "Google Parent Company Spins Off Self-Driving Car Business". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  44. ^ Halsey III, Ashley; Laris, Michael (December 13, 2016). "Blind man sets out alone in Google's driverless car". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  45. ^ Davies, Lex (November 7, 2017). "Wymo has taken the human out of its self-driving cars". Wired. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  46. ^ Encalada, Debbie (December 14, 2016). "Google Confirms First Ever Driverless Self-Driving Car Ride". Complex Media.
  47. ^ Harris, Mark (September 15, 2017). "Google Has Spent Over $1.1 Billion on Self-Driving Tech". IEEE spectrum.
  48. ^ Ebhardt, Tommaso (May 3, 2016). "Fiat, Google Plan Partnership on Self-Driving Minivans". Bloomberg.com.
  49. ^ Etherington, Darrell; Kolodny, Lora (December 13, 2016). "Google's self-driving car unit becomes Waymo".
  50. ^ Randazzo, Ryan (January 30, 2018). "Waymo to start driverless ride sharing in Phoenix area this year". Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  51. ^ Bergen, Mark (May 16, 2017). "Waymo Tests Hardware to Ease Passenger Fears of Driverless Cars". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  52. ^ Adams, Dallon (April 26, 2017). "Everything you need to know about Waymo's self-driving car project". Digital Trends. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  53. ^ Amadeo, Ron (January 9, 2017). "Google's Waymo invests in LIDAR technology, cuts costs by 90 percent". Ars Technica. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  54. ^ Lavrinc, Damon (April 16, 2012). "Exclusive: Google Expands Its Autonomous Fleet With Hybrid Lexus RX450h". Wired. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  55. ^ Gibbs, Samuel (November 7, 2017). "Google sibling Waymo launches fully autonomous ride-hailing service". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  56. ^ Isaac, Mike (May 14, 2017). "Lyft and Waymo Reach Deal to Collaborate on Self-Driving Cars". The New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  57. ^ a b c d Hawkins, Andrew J. (November 7, 2017). "Waymo is first to put fully self-driving cars on US roads without a safety driver". The Verge. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  58. ^ Higgins, Tim; Dawson, Chester (March 27, 2018). "Waymo Orders Up to 20,000 Jaguar SUVs for Driverless Fleet". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  59. ^ Topham, Gwyn (March 27, 2018). "Jaguar to supply 20,000 cars to Google's self-driving spin-off Waymo". The Guardian. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  60. ^ Hawkins, Andrew J. (January 30, 2018). "Waymo strikes a deal to buy 'thousands' more self-driving minivans from Fiat Chrysler". The Verge. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  61. ^ della Cava, Marco. "Waymo will add up to 62,000 FCA minivans to self-driving fleet". USA Today. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  62. ^ Bergen, Mark; Spears, Lee (August 24, 2018). "Waymo's Shanghai Subsidiary Gives Alphabet Another Route Back to China". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  63. ^ "Waymo gets the green light to test fully driverless cars in California". The Verge. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  64. ^ "Waymo is now allowed to transport passengers in its self-driving vehicles on California roads". TechCrunch. July 2, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  65. ^ Lee, Timothy (November 2, 2019). "Waymo let a reporter ride in a fully driverless car - Waymo has been touting fully driverless operation for almost two years". Ars Technica. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  66. ^ Hawkins, Andrew (December 9, 2019). "Waymo's driverless car: ghost-riding in the back seat of a robot taxi". The Verge. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  67. ^ Piper, Kelsey (February 28, 2020). "It's 2020. Where are our self-driving cars? - In the age of AI advances, self-driving cars turned out to be harder than people expected". Vox. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  68. ^ Amadeo, Ron (August 25, 2021). "Waymo expands to San Francisco with public self-driving test - Confidential testing starts in SF, featuring Waymo's 5th-gen Jaguar I-Pace cars". Ars Technica. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  69. ^ Grant, Nico; Ludlow, Edward (March 30, 2022). "Waymo, Chasing Cruise, Plans Fully Driverless Rides in San Francisco". Bloomberg News. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  70. ^ Sage, Alexandria (April 23, 2019). "Waymo picks Detroit factory for self-driving fleet, to be operational by mid-2019". Reuters. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  71. ^ Korosec, Kirsten (April 23, 2019). "Waymo picks Detroit factory to build self-driving cars". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  72. ^ Rudgard, Olivia (August 19, 2019). "Google spin-out Waymo rules out building its own self-driving cars". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  73. ^ a b LeBeau, Phil (March 2, 2020). "Waymo launches delivery service after raising $2.25 billion". CNBC. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  74. ^ Miller, Daniel (May 13, 2020). "Waymo Drives an Additional $750 million in Funding". The Motley Fool. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  75. ^ "Volvo Cars, Waymo partner to build self-driving vehicles". Reuters. June 25, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  76. ^ Nieva, Richard (April 2, 2021). "Waymo CEO John Krafcik to step down from self-driving car company". CNET. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  77. ^ Sebastian, Dave (June 16, 2021). "Waymo Raises $2.5 Billion in Funding Round". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  78. ^ Alamalhodaei, Aria (June 16, 2021). "Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving arm, raises $2.5B in second external investment round". TechCrunch. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  79. ^ a b Randazzo, Ryan (May 10, 2022). "Waymo to start offering autonomous rides to public in central, downtown Phoenix". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  80. ^ a b Blye, Andy (May 10, 2022). "Waymo opens autonomous service to select Phoenix passengers". Phoenix Business Journal. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  81. ^ Valencia, Peter (May 18, 2022). "Waymo to launch self-driving cars program at Phoenix Sky Harbor in next few weeks". Arizona's Family. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  82. ^ Vanek, Corina (July 11, 2023). "Waymo expands coverage area in Phoenix. Here's what to know to hail a robotaxi". The Arizona Republic.
  83. ^ Rice, Wills (July 9, 2023). "Waymo adding 45 square miles of metro Phoenix car service". KTAR-FM.
  84. ^ Mixer, Kelly (July 15, 2023). "Waymo One expands another 45 square miles in metro Phoenix". City Sun Times.
  85. ^ Hawkins, Andrew J. (June 7, 2022). "Waymo is teaming up with Uber on autonomous trucking because time really heals all wounds". The Verge. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  86. ^ Elias, Jennifer (October 19, 2022). "Waymo says it plans to launch its self-driving service in Los Angeles". CNBC. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  87. ^ Dave, Paresh (December 13, 2022). "Waymo seeks permit to sell self-driving car rides in San Francisco". Reuters. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  88. ^ Bellan, Rebecca (January 24, 2023). "Waymo lays off staff as Alphabet announces 12,000 job cuts". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  89. ^ a b c d e Tan, Eli (September 4, 2024). "Waymo's Robot Taxis Are Almost Mainstream. Can They Now Turn a Profit?". The New York Times.
  90. ^ "Waymo and China's Zeekr partner to develop driverless taxis". The Star. December 29, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  91. ^ "Waymo Approved Areas of Operation for Driverless Testing and Deployment". California Department of Motor Vehicles.
  92. ^ a b "California DMV expands permitted areas for Waymo robotaxis - CBS Los Angeles". www.cbsnews.com. November 21, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  93. ^ Oprysko, Caitlin; Barnes, Daniel (September 29, 2025). "Waymo taps Uber vet to lead public policy". POLITICO. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  94. ^ Rivard, Ry; Ngo, Emily (January 25, 2026). "Hochul is poised to welcome Waymo. Mamdani may be a different story". POLITICO. Archived from the original on January 25, 2026. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  95. ^ della Cava, Marco (October 31, 2017). "Waymo shows off the secret facility where it trains self-driving cars". USA Today. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  96. ^ Alvarez, Simon (November 14, 2025). "Tesla CEO Elon Musk responds to Waymo's 2,500-fleet milestone". Teslarati. Retrieved November 22, 2025.
  97. ^ Ohnsman, Alan. "Waymo Targets 1 Million Robotaxi Rides A Week". Forbes. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  98. ^ a b c "Waymo to expand robotaxi service to Las Vegas, San Diego and Detroit next year". Reuters. November 3, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  99. ^ Robles, Sergio (November 25, 2025). "Waymo hints at 2026 San Diego launch date". KSWB-TV. Retrieved January 31, 2026. As for when riders can start summoning a vehicle for a trip, a Friday post on X hints at a mid-2026 start time.
  100. ^ a b Kolodny, Lora (September 2, 2025). "Waymo starts testing in Denver, Seattle in bid to expand robotaxi service across U.S." CNBC. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  101. ^ Korosec, Kirsten (September 2, 2025). "Waymo expands to Denver and Seattle with its Zeekr-made vans". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  102. ^ Hawkins, Andrew J. (January 22, 2026). "Waymo is accepting public riders in Miami". The Verge. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  103. ^ Hernandez, Sophia (January 22, 2026). "Waymo welcomes first Miami riders into a self-driving car. NBC6 takes you inside". WTVJ. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  104. ^ Sarabia, Camille (November 18, 2025). "Self-driving cars coming to Orlando: What riders can expect with Waymo". WOFL. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  105. ^ Campbell, Troy (January 19, 2026). "Driverless Waymo taxis could begin commercial service in Orlando soon". WKMG-TV. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  106. ^ a b c Elias, Jennifer (November 20, 2025). "Waymo to begin manual drives in Minneapolis, Tampa and New Orleans, aims to open service in 2026". Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  107. ^ Varn, Kathryn (November 20, 2025). "Waymo's self-driving taxis are coming to Tampa". Axios. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  108. ^ Shepardson, David (June 24, 2025). "Uber, Waymo launch autonomous ride-hailing service in Atlanta". Reuters. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  109. ^ Collins, Rich (December 4, 2025). "How will Waymo's self-driving cars handle New Orleans potholes and parades?". NOLA.com. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  110. ^ Hanson, Julie (December 3, 2025). "Waymo driverless rides coming to Baltimore, Moore touts "long, proud tradition of embracing innovation"". CBS News. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  111. ^ a b c Elias, Jennifer (December 3, 2025). "Waymo expanding to Baltimore, Pittsburgh and St. Louis with manual test drives". CNBC. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  112. ^ Borghi, Brianna (May 22, 2025). "Waymo comes to Boston for testing: Would you ride in a driverless taxi?". WBTS-CD. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  113. ^ Contreras, Cesareo (May 29, 2025). "Robotaxis in Boston? Waymo's test run impresses Northeastern autonomous driving expert". Northeastern University. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  114. ^ Lawrence, Eric D. (December 9, 2025). "Waymo is coming to Detroit. What riding in the driverless taxi is like". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  115. ^ Swanson, Stephen; McLister, Frankie (November 20, 2025). "Waymo announces driverless taxi fleet is coming to Minneapolis". CBS News. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  116. ^ Kirn, Jacob (December 3, 2025). "Waymo to bring robotaxi service to St. Louis as drivers begin mapping the city". KSDK. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  117. ^ Moreno-Meza, Fidel (December 15, 2025). "Waymo prepares to launch self-driving cars in Las Vegas". KSNV. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  118. ^ a b "Waymo to manually test autonomous vehicles at Newark airport". Reuters. October 22, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  119. ^ a b Lung, Natalie (October 22, 2025). "Waymo to Test Vehicles With Human Drivers at Newark Airport". Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  120. ^ Plants, Ron (November 15, 2023). "Buffalo-tested: Waymo self-driving car program conducting tests on city streets". WGRZ. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  121. ^ Schwartz, Michael (February 29, 2024). "'To improve our technology': Waymo, a self-driving car service, doing weather testing in Buffalo". WKBW-TV. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  122. ^ "Waymo gets first permit to test autonomous vehicles in New York City". Reuters. August 22, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  123. ^ Bellan, Rebecca (October 1, 2025). "Waymo can keep testing robotaxis in NYC until end of 2025". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  124. ^ D'Onofrio, Mike (December 4, 2025). "Waymo eyes Philadelphia expansion". Axios. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  125. ^ Simon, Alexandra (December 4, 2025). "Waymo expanding self-driving ride service in Philadelphia". CBS News. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  126. ^ Jad, Chloe (January 6, 2026). "Waymo, meet Pittsburgh: Are driverless taxis ready for Steel City streets?". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  127. ^ Shirouzu, Norihiko (September 17, 2025). "Waymo to offer autonomous rides in Nashville on Lyft ride-hailing network". Reuters. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  128. ^ Tierney, Brendan; Maynard, Chasity (September 17, 2025). "Waymo announces partnership with Lyft to bring driverless rideshare service to Nashville". WSMV-TV. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  129. ^ "Waymo to launch autonomous ride-hailing in Dallas next year". Reuters. July 28, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  130. ^ Kolodny, Lora (July 28, 2025). "Waymo plans to bring its robotaxi service to Dallas in 2026". CNBC. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  131. ^ Jordan, Jay R. (May 28, 2025). "Waymo begins testing robotaxis in Houston". Axios. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  132. ^ "Waymo set to roll out fully autonomous driving in Houston: What it means for our city". KHOU-TV. November 19, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  133. ^ Jordan, Jay R.; Mendoza, Madalyn (November 18, 2025). "Waymo to launch driverless cars in San Antonio early next year". Axios. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  134. ^ Sundeen, Jasper Kenzo (November 19, 2025). "San Antonians can catch a ride from driverless Waymo cars in 2026". San Antonio Report. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  135. ^ Clarridge, Christine; Alvarez, Alayna (September 3, 2025). "Waymo's self-driving cars debut in Seattle". Axios. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  136. ^ Shepardson, David (March 25, 2025). "Alphabet's Waymo aims for 2026 self-driving ride-hailing launch in Washington, D.C." Reuters. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  137. ^ Dil, Cuneyt (December 4, 2025). "Why D.C. hasn't greenlit Waymo and other robotaxis". Axios. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  138. ^ Korosec, Kirsten (January 29, 2026). "Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides to and from San Francisco International Airport". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 31, 2026. The Alphabet-owned company said in a blog post Thursday it will begin offering access to SFO to a select number of riders before offering it to all customers in the coming months.
  139. ^ Swan, Rachel (January 29, 2026). "Waymo has launched passenger service to SFO. Here's what to know". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  140. ^ Lung, Natalie (January 22, 2026). "Waymo Starts Robotaxi Service in Miami, Testing at Airport". Bloomberg. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  141. ^ Kolodny, Lora (January 22, 2026). "Waymo launches robotaxi service in Miami, extending U.S. lead". CNBC. Retrieved January 31, 2026. Waymo said it plans to extend its service to the Miami International Airport in the near future, but did not give a specific timeline.
  142. ^ Wolfe, Eli; Fermoso, Jose (September 15, 2025). "Is Waymo coming to Oakland?". The Oaklandside. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  143. ^ NHTSA report 30270-11472.
  144. ^ Soglin, Talia; Gorner, Jeremy (December 6, 2025). "Waymo wants to bring self-driving taxis to Illinois. Does the Land of Lincoln want them?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  145. ^ Gordon, Brian (December 19, 2025). "Waymo is entering cities that look like Raleigh and Charlotte. So why not us?". The News & Observer. Retrieved January 12, 2026. Waymo officials had a "very preliminary" conversation with Raleigh about two years ago, city spokesperson Julia Milstead says. Charlotte has never heard from the Bay Area company.
  146. ^ "Waymo to begin data collection in Tokyo with driver-operated test rides". Reuters. April 10, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  147. ^ Nagata, Kazuaki (January 25, 2026). "Waymo-backed robotaxis quietly ply the streets of Tokyo as tests continue". The Japan Times. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  148. ^ Topham, Gwyn; Booth, Robert (October 18, 2025). "Driverless cars are coming to the UK - but the road to autonomy has bumps ahead". The Guardian. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  149. ^ Kleinman, Zoe (January 28, 2026). "Driverless taxis set to launch in UK as soon as September". BBC. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  150. ^ Wilson, Cam (October 28, 2025). "Waymo in talks to start testing self-driving taxis in Australia". Crikey. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  151. ^ Wilson, Cam (January 15, 2026). "Waymo plans to test self-driving cars in Australia this year, documents reveal". The Sizzle. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
  152. ^ Kennedy, David (October 31, 2025). "Waymo eyes Canadian expansion, hires lobbyists to engage with B.C., Ontario, federal governments". Automotive News. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  153. ^ Shankar, Bradly (December 2, 2025). "Toronto looking into allowing Waymo self-driving taxis". MobileSyrup. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  154. ^ "The City of Chandler partners with Waymo and Via to bring AVs to Chandler Flex". City of Chandler. September 18, 2025. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  155. ^ "Waymo and Via to offer robotaxis for public transit, starting with Arizona". Reuters. September 18, 2025. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  156. ^ Hawkins, Andrew J. (September 18, 2025). "Robotaxis as public transit? Waymo thinks so". The Verge. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  157. ^ Reagan, Kevin (September 23, 2025). "Here's how $1 Waymo rides are being offered throughout Chandler". KPNX. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  158. ^ a b "Waymo Targets Southwest Freight Corridor for Autonomous Truck Tests". Transport Topics. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  159. ^ a b Hawkins, Andrew J. (March 9, 2018). "Waymo's self-driving trucks will start delivering freight in Atlanta". The Verge. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  160. ^ Ohnsman, Alan (August 25, 2020). "Waymo Taps Texas As Its Robot Truck Hub With Dallas Depot". Forbes. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  161. ^ Hawkins, Andrew (October 27, 2020). "Waymo and Daimler are teaming up to build fully driverless semi trucks - 'A broad, global, strategic partnership'". The Verge. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  162. ^ Shepardson, David (April 12, 2023). "US union opposes driverless trucks waiver for Waymo, Aurora". Reuters. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  163. ^ McFarland, Matt (January 29, 2020). "UPS teams up with Waymo to test self-driving delivery vans". CNN. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  164. ^ "How the Waymo Driver is revolutionizing shipping - It's not only more efficient. Delivery networks, energy conservation, warehouse design, and more will all be affected--for the better". Fast Company. July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  165. ^ Gitlin, Jonathan (July 22, 2020). "Waymo worked on autonomous Ram ProMaster Vans for goods deliveries". Ars Technica. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  166. ^ Korosec, Kirsten (July 26, 2023). "Waymo puts the brakes on self-driving trucks program". TechCrunch. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  167. ^ Shaban, Bigad (April 3, 2024). "Uber Eats now uses Waymo's self-driving cars to offer driverless deliveries". KNTV. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  168. ^ Koller, Alex (April 3, 2024). "Waymo self-driving cars are delivering Uber Eats orders for first time". CNBC. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  169. ^ Hawkins, Andrew J. (October 16, 2025). "DoorDash will use Waymo's robotaxis for delivery in Phoenix". The Verge. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  170. ^ Korosec, Kirsten (October 16, 2025). "Waymo dips its wheels back into delivery, this time with DoorDash". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  171. ^ "Intel is collaborating with Waymo on self-driving car technology". Business Insider. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  172. ^ "Waymo shows off its next truly driverless prototype car". November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  173. ^ a b Gibbs, Samuel (November 7, 2017). "Google sibling Waymo launches fully autonomous ride-hailing service". The Guardian. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  174. ^ Melendez, Lyanne (August 18, 2025). "How Waymo went from secret Google project to dominant robotaxi company". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  175. ^ Walz, Eric (June 20, 2020). "Waymo Develops a Machine Learning Model to Predict the Behavior of Other Road Users for its Self-Driving Vehicles". Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  176. ^ a b c Madrigal, Alexis C. (August 23, 2017). "Inside Waymo's Secret World for Training Self-Driving Cars". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  177. ^ a b Seppala, Timothy J. (August 23, 2017). "'Carcraft' is Waymo's virtual world for autonomous vehicle testing". Engadget. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  178. ^ a b "Quarterly Reporting". www.cpuc.ca.gov. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  179. ^ "Standing General Order on Crash Reporting". NHTSA. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  180. ^ a b c d Bellan, Rebecca (June 6, 2023). "A Waymo self-driving car killed a dog in 'unavoidable' accident". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  181. ^ a b Shaban, Bigad (January 20, 2025). "While Waymo not blamed in multi-car wreck, it's the first fatal collision involving a driverless car". KNTV. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  182. ^ Horowitch, Rose (June 7, 2023). "Self-driving Waymo car kills dog amid increasing concern over robotaxis". The Guardian. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  183. ^ Valdes-Dapena, Peter (February 14, 2024). "Waymo recalls software after two self-driving cars hit the same truck". CNN. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  184. ^ "ADS Software Error May Cause Crash". NHTSA. February 13, 2024. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  185. ^ "Waymo robotaxi accident with San Francisco cyclist draws regulatory review". Reuters. February 7, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  186. ^ "Waymo driverless car hit bicyclist in SF intersection, company says". KGO-TV. February 7, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  187. ^ Reagan, Kevin (May 21, 2024). "Waymo vehicle involved in Phoenix crash". KPNX. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  188. ^ Feng, Victoria (June 13, 2024). "Waymo recalls software in all its cars after its robotaxi crashes into a pole". NBC News. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  189. ^ "ADS Software Error May Cause Crash". NHTSA. June 10, 2024. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  190. ^ "Person and dog killed, several hurt in San Francisco multi-car crash, authorities say". KGO-TV. January 20, 2025. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  191. ^ "San Francisco bicyclist sues over crash involving 2 Waymo cars". The Mercury News. June 10, 2025. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  192. ^ Gafni, Matthias (June 20, 2025). "Suit by S.F. cyclist 'doored' by driverless Waymo says safety system failed". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  193. ^ Rothman, Stephanie; Smith, Tor (October 30, 2025). "Waymo pledges donation after beloved San Francisco corner store cat struck, killed". KRON-TV. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  194. ^ Swan, Rachel (November 3, 2025). "A Waymo robotaxi killed a beloved S.F. cat. Now a city supervisor wants driverless car reform". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  195. ^ Vaziri, Aidin (December 1, 2025). "Waymo robotaxi hits dog in San Francisco weeks after killing beloved cat". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  196. ^ a b Baker, Alex (December 9, 2025). "Dog hit by Waymo in SF put down by family after suffering 'severe pelvic trauma'". KRON-TV. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  197. ^ Swan, Rachel (December 8, 2025). "Waymo traffic jam goes viral: Robotaxis butt heads on dead-end S.F. street". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  198. ^ Fernandez, Lisa; Kafton, Christien (December 9, 2025). "Waymo standoff in San Francisco goes viral, company responds". KTVU. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  199. ^ Shepardson, David (January 29, 2026). "US opens probe after Waymo self-driving vehicle strikes child near school, causing minor injuries". Reuters. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  200. ^ O'Kane, Sean (January 29, 2026). "Waymo robotaxi hits a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  201. ^ Kolodny, Lora (January 29, 2026). "A Waymo hit a child near an elementary school. The NHTSA is investigating". CNBC. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  202. ^ a b c Wakabayashi, Daisuke (February 9, 2018). "Uber and Waymo Settle Trade Secrets Suit Over Driverless Cars". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  203. ^ "Waymo LLC v. Uber Technologies, Inc; Ottomotto LLC; Otto Trucking LLC". Trade Secrets Institute. Brook law. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  204. ^ "Waymo's Complaint Against Uber". The New York Times. February 23, 2017. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  205. ^ "Secrets or Knowledge? Uber-Waymo Trial Tests Silicon Valley Culture". The New York Times. January 30, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  206. ^ "I'm not so sure Waymo's going to win against Uber". The Verge. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  207. ^ Larson, Selena (February 7, 2018). "The tech at the center of the Waymo vs. Uber trade secrets case". CNN. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  208. ^ Farivar, Cyrus (February 9, 2018). "Silicon Valley's most-watched trial ends as Waymo and Uber settle". Ars Technica. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  209. ^ Larson 2018.
  210. ^ Lien, Russ; Mitchell, Tracey (February 10, 2018). "Uber reaches settlement with Waymo in dispute over trade secrets". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  211. ^ Korosec, Kirsten (July 30, 2018). "Uber's self-driving trucks division is dead, long live Uber self-driving cars". TechCrunch. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  212. ^ Hawkins, Andrew J. (January 28, 2022). "Waymo sues California DMV to keep driverless crash data under wraps". The Verge. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  213. ^ Mitchell, Russ (January 28, 2022). "Waymo sues state DMV to keep robotaxi safety details secret". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  214. ^ Hawkins, Andrew J. (February 23, 2022). "Waymo wins bid to keep some of its robotaxi safety details secret". The Verge. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  215. ^ "SF sues state regulators for robotaxi expansion". San Francisco Examiner. January 24, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  216. ^ "San Mateo County opposes Waymo's driverless-car expansion". The Mercury News. February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  217. ^ Thadani, Trisha; Duncan, Ian (May 24, 2024). "Major robotaxi firms face federal safety investigations after crashes". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  218. ^ "Software May Cause Vehicle to Hit Roadway Barrier". NHTSA. May 12, 2025. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  219. ^ Shepardson, David; Sophia, Deborah Mary (May 14, 2025). "Waymo recalls 1,200 self-driving vehicles in US after minor collisions". Reuters. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  220. ^ Shepardson, David (July 25, 2025). "US closes probe into Waymo self-driving collisions, unexpected behavior". Reuters. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
  221. ^ Wintersmith, Saraya (July 24, 2025). "Driverless cars run into resistance at Boston City Council". WGBH-TV. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  222. ^ Maher, Emily (October 28, 2025). "Labor unions form coalition as Boston City Council considers driverless car regulation". WCVB-TV. Retrieved October 30, 2025.
  223. ^ Vaziri, Aidin (September 27, 2025). "Waymo driverless car stopped by Bay Area police during DUI operation". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  224. ^ Fang, Tim (September 29, 2025). "Bay Area police officers pull over Waymo robotaxi during DUI operation". CBS News. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  225. ^ Murphy Marcos, Coral (September 29, 2025). "California police stumped after trying to ticket driverless car for illegal U-turn". The Guardian. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  226. ^ Shepardson, David; Sriram, Akash (October 20, 2025). "US probes Alphabet unit Waymo robotaxis over school bus safety". Reuters. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
  227. ^ Houle, Chase (September 28, 2025). "Waymo car recorded illegally passing school bus". WXIA-TV. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  228. ^ Van Cleave, Kris (October 1, 2025). "Driverless Waymo seen blowing past a school bus in Atlanta". CBS News. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  229. ^ Vaziri, Aidin (October 2, 2025). "'Too dangerous for our children': Lawmakers call out Waymo after school bus incident". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  230. ^ Wiley, Kelly; Pauda, Erica (December 4, 2025). "Another Waymo driverless vehicle cited for passing a stopped school bus, AISD says". KXAN-TV. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  231. ^ Cross, Bettie; LeHardy, Will (December 5, 2025). "Waymo refuses AISD request to cease operations after 20th school bus violation since Aug". KEYE-TV. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  232. ^ Lucas, Liza (December 4, 2025). "More cases of Waymo autonomous vehicles driving around stopped Atlanta school buses as federal probe continues". WXIA-TV. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  233. ^ "Vehicle May Pass a Stopped School Bus". NHTSA. December 8, 2025. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  234. ^ "Waymo recalls, updates software for over 3000 vehicles, U.S. regulator says". Reuters. December 11, 2025. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  235. ^ Leonard, Karoline (January 15, 2026). "Austin ISD says Waymo robotaxis continue to pass school buses despite software recall". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  236. ^ O'Kane, Sean (January 23, 2026). "Waymo probed by National Transportation Safety Board over illegal school bus behavior". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  237. ^ Myrow, Rachael (November 5, 2025). "Waymo, Alphabet Sued for Bias After AI Allegedly Mislabels SF Doctor as Terrorist". KQED. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  238. ^ Swan, Rachel (November 5, 2025). "Did Waymo misidentify an S.F. doctor as a terrorist? New lawsuit alleges discrimination". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  239. ^ Rickman, Rick (November 18, 2025). "Trenton could slow down Waymo's driverless car rollout in New Jersey". WKXW. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  240. ^ Vara, Juliette (November 19, 2025). "Some city leaders push back on Waymo coming to San Diego". KUSI-TV. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  241. ^ Harff, Noelle (January 15, 2026). "San Diego MTS issues anti-Waymo proclamation". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
  242. ^ Hall, Matthew (November 24, 2025). "Santa Monica Orders Waymo to Halt Overnight Operations at Charging Facilities". Santa Monica Daily Press. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  243. ^ a b "E&E News: Lawsuits fly in dispute over Waymo's Santa Monica charging station". subscriber.politicopro.com. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  244. ^ a b Hernandez, Salvador (December 22, 2025). "Fight between Waymo and Santa Monica goes to court". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  245. ^ Hall, Matthew (December 3, 2025). "Waymo operations persist despite Nov. 26 deadline to end overnight work in Santa Monica". Santa Monica Daily Press. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  246. ^ "Santa Monica calls Waymo charging sites a 'public nuisance,' asks judge to limit overnight operations". FOX 11. January 1, 2026. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  247. ^ Winter, Deena (December 4, 2025). "Some Minneapolis City Council members want to stop Waymo driverless cars". Minnesota Star Tribune. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  248. ^ "Why Phoenix Area Residents Are Attacking Waymo's Self-Driving Fleet". NPR. January 2, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  249. ^ Kerr, Dana (August 26, 2023). "Armed with traffic cones, protesters are immobilizing driverless cars". NPR.
  250. ^ Javaid, Maham (February 12, 2024). "San Francisco crowd sets self-driving car on fire". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  251. ^ Quintana, Sergio (February 13, 2024). "Authorities work to identify people who set Waymo car on fire in San Francisco". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  252. ^ Pena, Luz (February 8, 2024). "SF couple describes feeling 'trapped' riding in Waymo driverless car that was being attacked". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  253. ^ Dave, Paresh (July 22, 2024). "Waymo Is Suing People Who Allegedly Smashed and Slashed Its Robotaxis". Wired. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  254. ^ de Guzman, Chad; Sutherland, Callum (June 9, 2025). "Why Waymo's Self-Driving Cars Became a Target of Protesters in Los Angeles". Time. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
  255. ^ Pruitt-Young, Sharon (October 16, 2021). "Self-driving Waymo cars gather in a San Francisco neighborhood, confusing residents". NPR.
  256. ^ "Dead-End SF Street Plagued With Confused Waymo Cars Trying To Turn Around 'Every 5 Minutes'". CBS News. October 14, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  257. ^ Hawkins, Andrew J. (October 14, 2021). "Waymo's autonomous vehicles keep getting stuck in a dead-end street in San Francisco". The Verge. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  258. ^ Edwards, Benj (August 13, 2024). "Self-driving Waymo cars keep SF residents awake all night by honking at each other". Ars Technica. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  259. ^ Goard, Alyssa (August 18, 2024). "San Francisco neighbors say Waymo honking continues, global audience follows along live". KNTV. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  260. ^ Larson, Amy (August 19, 2024). "Driverless Waymo cars still honking despite software fix". KRON-TV. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  261. ^ "Man's ride to airport takes turn after Waymo gets stuck driving in circles". KGO-TV. January 7, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  262. ^ "LA tech entrepreneur nearly misses flight after getting trapped in robotaxi". The Guardian. January 6, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2025. Waymo told the Guardian the "looping event" had been addressed by a regularly scheduled software update.
  263. ^ Schlepp, Travis (April 8, 2025). "Waymo gets stuck in California Chick-fil-A drive-thru". KTLA. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  264. ^ Council, Stephen (April 9, 2025). "Confused Waymo shuts down Calif. restaurant's drive-thru". SFGate. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  265. ^ Korosec, Kirsten (April 9, 2025). "A Waymo robotaxi got trapped in Chick-fil-A drive-through". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  266. ^ Garcia, Ariana (April 21, 2025). "Passengers say they were trapped inside driverless vehicle in Austin". Chron.com. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  267. ^ Willits, Mitchell (April 22, 2025). "Woman and friends trapped in driverless car, TikTok video shows. Waymo responds". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  268. ^ McCord, Cory (April 23, 2025). "Woman says she got trapped inside driverless taxi in Austin". KHOU. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  269. ^ a b Blankstein, Andrew; Siemaszko, Corky (December 2, 2025). "Driverless Waymo vehicle goes through tense police stop in L.A." NBC News. Retrieved December 2, 2025. The robotaxi operated by Waymo was driven just a few feet away from a Los Angeles police felony stop downtown following a vehicle chase early Sunday
  270. ^ "Way-No-No-No!!! Drives Into Police Standoff". TMZ. December 1, 2025. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  271. ^ Good, Anna (December 2, 2025). ""Incredible": Waymo robotaxi casually drives into active LAPD standoff in viral video". The Daily Dot. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  272. ^ Swan, Rachel (December 10, 2025). "A woman's Waymo rolled up with a stunning surprise: A man hiding in the trunk". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  273. ^ Baker, Alex (December 10, 2025). "Viral video of man hiding in trunk of Waymo raises safety concerns". KRON-TV. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  274. ^ Shahan, Zachary (December 16, 2025). "Waymo Gets Paralyzed By Venice Canal Parade". CleanTechnica. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  275. ^ Weedston, Lindsey (December 17, 2025). ""Yes you can!": Venice residents cheer Waymo car stuck at a canal bridge during annual parade". The Daily Dot. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  276. ^ Wilkins, Joe (December 17, 2025). "Waymo Paralyzed by Parade, Blocks Traffic for 45 Minutes". Futurism. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  277. ^ Thompson, Kelsey (December 16, 2025). "'Just another day': Waymo caught driving wrong way on I-35 frontage road". MySA. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  278. ^ Landymore, Frank (December 18, 2025). "Waymo Spotted Driving Wrong Way Down Busy Street". Futurism. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  279. ^ Marcin, Tim (December 19, 2025). "Driverless Waymo seemingly drives straight into oncoming traffic in viral video". Mashable. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  280. ^ Rao, Sonia A.; Morales, Christina; Sassoon, Alessandro Marazzi (December 21, 2025). "Waymo Suspended Service in San Francisco After Its Cars Stalled During Power Outage". The New York Times. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  281. ^ Keane, Isabel (December 22, 2025). "Waymo suspends service in San Francisco after causing traffic jams during blackout". The Independent. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  282. ^ Baron, Ethan (December 22, 2025). "Waymo robotaxis blink out and block traffic in SF blackout. What happens in the next emergency?". The Mercury News. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  283. ^ Reagan, Kevin; Golightly, Chase (January 7, 2026). "Waymo car seen driving on light rail tracks in Phoenix". KPNX. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  284. ^ Castillo, Mickaela (January 8, 2026). "Waymo passenger flees after car drives on Phoenix light rail tracks". KTVK/KPHO-TV. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
  285. ^ Uwaoma, Philip (January 10, 2026). ""That Was Close": Passenger Flee for Safety as Waymo Robotaxi Drives onto Train Tracks". Yahoo News. Retrieved January 11, 2026.

Primary sources

In the text, these references are preceded by a double dagger (++):

  1. ^ a b Thrun, Sebastian (October 9, 2010). "What we're driving at". The Official Google Blog. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Journey". Waymo.
  3. ^ "The Test Driven Google Car". April 30, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2011 - via YouTube.[dead YouTube link]
  4. ^ Krafcik, John (January 17, 2019). "Our #tenyearchallenge has been building the world's most experienced driver. Thanks to two visionary @Google characters for getting us started & to the @Waymo One riders in #Phoenix we're serving. HBD #Waymo pic.twitter.com/Ew4fdXjM7c". John Krafcik's official Twitter account. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  5. ^ A First Drive. May 27, 2014. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021 - via YouTube.
  6. ^ Krafcik, John (October 27, 2017). "Michigan is Waymo's winter wonderland". Medium.com. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Where Waymo is driving". Waymo. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  8. ^ "Where you can go". Waymo. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  9. ^ "Waymo is opening its fully driverless service to the general public in Phoenix". Waymo. October 8, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  10. ^ "Waymo One is now open to all in Los Angeles". Waymo. November 12, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  11. ^ "Waypoint - San Diego". Waymo. November 3, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  12. ^ "Waymo One is now open to everyone in San Francisco". Waymo. June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  13. ^ "Waypoint - Denver". Waymo. September 2, 2025. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  14. ^ "Miami, Your Waymo Ride Is Ready". Waymo. January 22, 2026. Retrieved January 22, 2026. Starting today, Waymo is welcoming the first public riders into our fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Miami
  15. ^ a b c d "Safe, Routine, Ready: Autonomous driving in five new cities". Waymo. November 18, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  16. ^ "Waypoint". Waymo. November 20, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  17. ^ "Waypoint". Waymo. November 20, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  18. ^ "Waypoint - Baltimore". Waymo. December 3, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  19. ^ "Waypoint - Detroit". Waymo. November 3, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  20. ^ "Waypoint". Waymo. November 20, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  21. ^ "Waypoint - St. Louis". Waymo. December 3, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  22. ^ "Waypoint - Las Vegas". Waymo. November 3, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  23. ^ "Waypoint". Waymo. August 22, 2025. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  24. ^ "Waypoint - Philadelphia". Waymo. December 3, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  25. ^ "Waypoint - Pittsburgh". Waymo. December 3, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  26. ^ "Bringing fully autonomous rides to Nashville, in partnership with Lyft". Waymo. September 17, 2025. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
  27. ^ "Waymo is now available in Austin, only on Uber". support.google.com. March 4, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  28. ^ "Introducing our next city: Dallas". Waymo. July 28, 2025. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
  29. ^ "Waypoint - Seattle". Waymo. September 2, 2025. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  30. ^ "Next stop for Waymo One: Washington, D.C." Waymo. March 25, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  31. ^ "Making air travel more convenient at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport". Waymo. November 1, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  32. ^ "Clear skies and autonomous Waymo rides at SFO". Waymo. January 29, 2026. Retrieved January 29, 2026. We'll start by offering SFO access to a select number of riders and will gradually welcome all riders over the coming months.
  33. ^ "Taking riders further, safely with freeways". Waymo. November 12, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  34. ^ "We've expanded our San Francisco service area to cover more of the bay". support.google.com. December 1, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  35. ^ "Delivering more for our riders in a year of incredible growth". Waymo. December 10, 2025. Retrieved December 10, 2025. ...and we recently began offering employees fully autonomous rides at Miami International Airport with plans to go fully autonomous at other major airports soon.
  36. ^ a b @waymo; (January 21, 2026). "Preparing for take off at @dallaslovefield and @satairport with employee testing! We're one step closer to making autonomous airport travel the new standard. ". Retrieved January 21, 2026 - via Instagram.
  37. ^ "Post". Waymo. November 21, 2025. Retrieved November 21, 2025 - via LinkedIn.
  38. ^ "Partnering with Nihon Kotsu and GO on our first international road trip". Waymo. December 16, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  39. ^ "Hello London! Your Waymo ride is arriving". Waymo. October 15, 2025. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  40. ^ "Waymo Via - Same Driver. Different Vehicle". Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  41. ^ "Phoenix residents can now experience Uber Eats delivery with the Waymo Driver". Waymo. April 3, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  42. ^ "Waymo and Hyundai enter multi-year, strategic partnership". Waymo. October 4, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  43. ^ "Scaling our fleet through U.S. manufacturing". Waymo. May 5, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.

Further reading

[edit]


[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Waymo.
Subsidiaries
Current
Former
People
Executives
Current
Former
Board of
directors
Current
Former
Others
Self-driving cars, self-driving vehicles and enabling technologies
Overview and
context
SAE Levels
Human driver monitors
the driving environment
(Levels 0,1,2)
System monitors
the driving environment
(Levels 3,4,5)
Vehicles
Cars
Buses and commercial
vehicles
Regulation
Liability
Enabling
technologies
Organizations,
Projects &
People
Organizations,
projects
and events
People