Waymo to broaden US robotaxi footprint with moves into Minneapolis, Tampa, New Orleans

Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, is expanding its robotaxi operations to Minneapolis, Tampa, and New Orleans. The company will start with human-driven vehicles, following a phased approach used in other cities. Waymo is the only U.S. operator offering paid robotaxi services without safety drivers. This expansion highlights the competitive race in autonomous driving, with rivals like Tesla and Amazon's Zoox also investing heavily. Waymo recently began fully autonomous operations in Miami and plans to expand to other cities for employees before a public launch in 2026.