Waymo will launch driverless rides in San Diego, Las Vegas, Tampa and Denver in the coming weeks, expanding its robotaxi service to four new US markets.

The Alphabet subsidiary will initially offer rides to company employees before rolling out to the public. Waymo first announced these expansion plans last year and currently operates in more than 10 cities.

The move strengthens Waymo's lead in the nascent US robotaxi market over rivals Tesla and Amazon-owned Zoox. Both competitors are slowly expanding their own services — Zoox is preparing to launch in Austin and Miami later this year, while Tesla is expanding beyond Austin to other Texas markets and Miami.

Waymo's domestic fleet includes approximately 4,000 robotaxis equipped with fifth- and sixth-generation automated driving systems, according to May filings with US auto safety regulators.

Operational challenges emerge

The expansion comes as Waymo faces growing pains from increased deployment. Some vehicles have driven into flooded roads during extreme weather events, while others experienced battery failures during Fourth of July traffic in San Francisco. One vehicle was spotted driving into fireworks during the holiday celebrations.

Waymo raised $16 billion in February from Alphabet and other investors to fund its expansion. The company has completed more than 20 million autonomous rides and aims to reach 1 million weekly trips by year-end.

The robotaxi service plans to launch in London later this year, marking its first international market. This follows Waymo's strategy of gradual geographic expansion while refining its autonomous driving technology.

The four new cities represent diverse driving environments that will test Waymo's systems across different weather conditions, traffic patterns and road infrastructure. San Diego and Las Vegas offer desert climates, while Tampa presents humid subtropical conditions and Denver adds high-altitude mountain terrain.

Waymo's expansion timeline suggests employee testing will begin within weeks, followed by public availability dates to be announced for each market individually.