A Waymo vehicle leaves a charging station in Austin, Texas, on January 15, 2026.
Brandon Bell | Getty Images
alphabetWaymo announced Thursday that its robotaxi service will open to paying passengers in Miami, kicking off a market expansion in 2026.
Miami is Waymo’s sixth market for driverless ride-hailing, extending its lead with Miami. tesla and AmazonOwned Zoox. Waymo’s planned 2026 expansion could lock in passenger demand and loyalty in the US as US competition lags
Waymo will initially serve a 60-square-mile area that includes Miami’s Design District, Wynwood, Brickell and Coral Gables neighborhoods, Google’s sister company said.
The company began testing the vehicle in the Florida city in early 2025. Waymo said it plans to expand service to Miami International Airport in the near future, but did not provide a specific schedule.
The company said “nearly 10,000 residents” in Miami have already signed up to experience the company’s robotaxi service, and Waymo will “invite new passengers on a rolling basis.” Passengers can use the company’s app to hail a Waymo robotaxi in Miami.
Waymo has partnered with mobility company Moove for fleet management services that include vehicle charging, cleaning and repair.
The Miami launch comes as Waymo faces public concerns about the safety and driving behavior of its vehicles.
Waymo vehicles contributed to traffic jams during storms and widespread power outages in San Francisco last month. Waymo later said the company is improving its system to better navigate in such conditions and weather.
The company ended 2025 with robotaxi services in five major U.S. markets, including Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Waymo said it plans to expand into U.S. markets by 2026, including Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Orlando, San Antonio, San Diego, Washington state, and Nashville, Tennessee, as well as testing in New York, Tokyo and London, and said it would launch its first overseas commercial service this year.
Waymo surpassed 450,000 paid rides per week in December and announced that it is on track to handle 14 million rides by 2025. The company was in talks to raise $15 billion, CNBC reported last month.
Alphabet Inc. faces its toughest competition in Asia from Baidu Inc.’s Apollo Go and Willide, but also Amazon’s Zoox and Elon Musk’s teslais aiming to compete with Waymo in North America, along with startups like May Mobility and Nuro.
—CNBC’s Jennifer Elias contributed to this report.
WATCH: 2025: The year robotaxis go mainstream, with Waymo leading the way.
