Waymo Expands to Three More Cities: Minneapolis, New Orleans, and Tampa

Waymo is adding three new cities to its growing U.S. footprint: Minneapolis, New Orleans, and Tampa.

The company announced on Thursday that it will begin manually driving its vehicles in these cities “in the coming days” as the first phase of its rollout. This step will be followed by testing and validating its driverless technology before eventually launching a commercial robotaxi service in each market.

These newly added cities expand Waymo’s already substantial presence across the country. The Alphabet-owned company currently operates robotaxis on both surface streets and highways in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix, and is already active in Austin and Atlanta.

Looking ahead to 2026, Waymo plans to expand further into Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, San Antonio, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. The company is also testing in New York City, and plans to launch commercial rides internationally, starting with London and Tokyo.

The three newly announced cities present unique conditions for Waymo’s autonomous systems. Minneapolis faces harsh winters, with snow and ice posing challenges for traction and perception. New Orleans features tight, pedestrian-heavy one-way streets — particularly in the French Quarter — that require careful navigation.

As Waymo grows, it has partnered with various companies to help manage its fleets. For example, its vehicles are available through Uber’s app in Austin and Atlanta; Moove, an African mobility and fintech company, handles operations in Phoenix (and soon in Miami); and Avis Budget Group will manage the fleet in Dallas. It’s unclear whether Waymo will use similar operational partnerships in the new cities.

Waymo continues to outpace most of its competitors in city expansion. Zoox, owned by Amazon, currently offers free robotaxi rides in Las Vegas via its custom-built vehicle and is testing early-rider trips in San Francisco while awaiting an exemption from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Meanwhile, Tesla is expanding its early-stage robotaxi service, which still requires a safety driver in the driver’s seat. This week, Tesla received a permit to start offering rides in Arizona, in addition to Austin and San Francisco.