Waymo Launches Public Ride Service in Miami

Waymo is starting the new year with an exciting expansion into Miami. As of today, those on the company’s waitlist of around 10,000 can now request a ride in one of its robotaxis within a 60-square-mile area that covers popular spots like the Design District, Wynwood, Brickell, and Coral Gables, though it won’t service tourist-heavy areas like South Beach just yet. Initially, the vehicles will avoid highways, focusing on local streets, with plans to incorporate faster routes later this year.

This rollout mirrors previous expansions in other cities, where Waymo first opens its services to waitlist members eager to experience the robotaxi rides before a wider public launch. Over time, the service area will expand to include more neighborhoods and key locations, such as Miami International Airport.

Waymo has been testing its autonomous vehicles in Miami intermittently since at least 2019 and has recently begun laying the groundwork for this robotaxi service, which was officially announced at the end of 2024.

The fleet of driverless vehicles will be managed by Moove, a company that offers fleet services and various financial products for mobility firms. Based in Africa, with multiple offices in Nigeria, Moove is backed by Uber and has recently been valued at $750 million.

While Waymo’s robotaxi business has been growing steadily, the company is becoming more assertive about its future market targets. Currently, it operates in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, and Phoenix, with ambitions to expand to over 20 cities in the coming years, including San Diego, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Tampa, Houston, Orlando, Washington, DC, New York City, Denver, New Orleans, Tokyo, London, and more. However, not every city is embracing the arrival of robotaxis.

In its Miami announcement, Waymo highlighted its impressive safety record, boasting a tenfold decrease in serious injury crashes compared to human drivers in its operational cities. By the end of 2025, Waymo reported conducting approximately 450,000 paid driverless trips each week.