Waymo goes public in Miami

Waymo opened its driverless ride-hailing service to anyone in Miami on April 15, ending its waitlist and widening access across South Florida. (waymo.com) The company said more than 150,000 people in Miami and Orlando had already ridden from its initial interest lists in recent months before the broader launch. Riders can now book a fully autonomous car directly in the Waymo app. (waymo.com) Miami was not fully open at launch. When Waymo first started taking public riders there on January 22, it admitted people in waves across an initial 60-square-mile service area after nearly 10,000 residents signed up. (waymo.com) The latest expansion also adds highway driving in Miami. Waymo said riders can opt in through the app for trips that use Interstate 95, State Road 836 and State Road 826, which can cut travel times between places like Coral Gables, Wynwood and Miami Beach. (waymo.com, nbcmiami.com) A robotaxi is a ride-hailing car that drives itself with software and sensors instead of a human at the wheel. Waymo’s Miami service uses all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles and runs through the company’s own app, while fleet partner Moove handles local operations and charging. (waymo.com) Miami is part of a broader test for whether one driving system can move from one city to another without being rebuilt from scratch. Waymo said in November 2025 that it had begun fully autonomous operations in Miami and four other new cities ahead of rider launches, describing that as evidence its system could scale to new roads and weather. (waymo.com) That push now extends overseas. Waymo said in October 2025 it planned to bring a fully autonomous ride-hailing service to London in 2026, pending government approvals, and this week it began autonomous road testing there. (waymo.com, techcrunch.com) In London, Waymo is testing about 100 Jaguar I-PACE vehicles across a 100-square-mile area with human safety operators still behind the wheel. Co-chief executive Dmitri Dolgov said the company’s “core driving AI” was generalizing well as it adapts to local road rules and street layouts. (techcrunch.com) Waymo first announced Miami in December 2024 and said it would spend 2025 reacquainting its cars with the city before opening to riders in 2026. Four months later, Miami is no longer a limited pilot; it is a live public market and a test of how fast Waymo can repeat that playbook in the next city. (waymo.com, waymo.com)