Waymo Widens its Robotaxi Service Area in Los Angeles and San Francisco

Alphabet’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary, Waymo, is expanding its robotaxi operations by an additional 10 square miles to encompass nearby cities of San Francisco.

With this expansion strategy, Daly City, Broadmoor, and Colma are now part of Waymo’s growing commercial service area, increasing its total coverage to approximately 55 square miles. Moreover, Waymo announced on Tuesday the inclusion of 16 square miles in Los Angeles for its robotaxi services, welcoming areas such as Marina del Rey, Mar Vista, Playa Vista, and extending further into Hollywood, Chinatown, and Westwood.

In its quest for scaling commercial activities and aiming for profitability, Waymo tirelessly works on enlarging its service areas and amplifying its customer base. Achieving new milestones, Waymo mentioned it has successfully completed over two million paid journeys for passengers across its Waymo One sectors, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix, offering more than 50,000 paid journeys weekly in these markets.

Although these ventures bring in revenue, Waymo still benefits from the financial support of its parents. Alphabet, its owning firm, has confirmed it will pour an additional $5 billion into Waymo, sustaining its growth.

This growth follows Waymo’s receipt of approval from the California Public Utilities Commission for its commercial robotaxi service in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Peninsula, and San Francisco freeways several months ago. Waymo has been conducting tests on its self-driving cars throughout the SF Peninsula area.

Offering round-the-clock commercial service in San Francisco since its approval by the commission in August 2023, Waymo was further sanctioned in March 2024 for commercial expansion into additional territories. While specific details on its global fleet are not disclosed, a spokesperson shared with TechCrunch that the current fleet includes approximately 300 vehicles in San Francisco, 50 in Los Angeles, and 200 in Phoenix, with a smaller fleet undergoing testing in Austin. Other locations like Mountain View, California, also see occasional testing of Waymo vehicles.

Waymo revealed that demand in Los Angeles has surged, with over 150,000 individuals signing up for the service waitlist. Meanwhile, Waymo lifted the waitlist for San Francisco users in June, signaling robust interest in their services.