Waymo to expand robotaxi services to Washington, D.C., next year

Waymo has tested its autonomous driving system in 15 states and on millions of miles of public roads. | Source: Waymo

Waymo LLC is officially bringing its robotaxi services to Washington, D.C., in 2026. The company said it will work closely with local policymakers to formalize the regulations it needs to operate without a human behind the wheel in the District.

“Waymo One is making fully autonomous driving a reality for millions of people across the U.S.” stated Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana. “We’re excited to bring the comfort, consistency, and safety of Waymo One to Washingtonians, those who work and play in the city every day, and the millions of people from around the world who travel to the District every year.”

This deployment follows Waymo’s January announcement that it would be returning its Waymo Driver to D.C. Now, it plans to continue introducing itself to the capital’s communities and emergency responders over the coming months.

Washington the first city with snowfall to get service

Washington gets an average of 13.7 in. of snow a year, according to the National Weather Service. This marks the first time that Waymo is deploying its technology in a city that regularly gets snowfall.

“I’ve experienced firsthand how safely the Waymo Driver operates around pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users,” said Jonathan Adkins, CEO of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). “Waymo has worked with GHSA and our first responder network as they’ve expanded their service, always putting safety first. As someone who walks to work almost every day, I’m excited to share the road with Waymo in Washington, D.C.”

Waymo brings 2024 momentum to the new year

Today, Waymo One provides more than 200,000 fully autonomous paid trips each week across its deployments in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin.

Already in 2025, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company made its robotaxis available in Austin exclusively through the Uber app. This year, it plans to bring its services to Atlanta and Miami.

Last year, the self-driving unit of Google parent Alphabet launched its first service in Los Angeles and expanded services in San Francisco and Phoenix. It also released its sixth-generation robotaxi.

And that isn’t all. In addition to the deployments and new vehicle, Waymo closed a $5.6 billion funding round in October 2024. The round was led by Alphabet and included participation from other big investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity, Perry Creek, Silver Lake, Tiger Global, and T. Rowe Price.

While the company’s longtime rival, Cruise, is no longer in operation, it still faces competition from robotaxi companies like Zoox and Nuro, which are earlier in their deployment journeys. In 2024, Nuro expanded its capabilities using zero-occupant vehicles with the Nuro Driver system, while Zoox grew its operations in California and Nevada.

During CES 2025, Mike Oitzman, senior editor at The Robot Report, took a ride in a Zoox robotaxi.

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