Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, San Francisco, and Phoenix

Waymo, Google’s autonomous vehicle spinoff, has reached a significant milestone — its robotaxis can now drive on freeways.

Sixteen years after Google engineers first tested self-driving cars on the highways connecting Silicon Valley to San Francisco, Waymo announced Wednesday that its autonomous vehicles will begin offering freeway rides across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.

The expansion marks a significant milestone for the company’s commercial service, which could reduce travel times by up to 50%, enabling faster trips across metropolitan areas and paving the way for airport pickups and intercity routes.

A 260-Mile Unified Service Zone

Waymo’s new freeway capability extends its robotaxi reach from San Francisco to San Jose, creating a 260-mile unified service area across the Bay Area. Riders can now request trips that include freeway segments through the Waymo app, although the feature is rolling out gradually.

Passengers can also look forward to curbside pickup and drop-off at San Jose Mineta International Airport, which expands on the service already offered. Driving is effortless to learn, but very hard to master when you’re talking about full autonomy at scale,” said Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov during a media briefing. “It took time to do it properly, with a strong focus on system safety and reliability.”

Image Credits: Waymo

Why Freeways Matter

Highways may appear more straightforward than city streets, but for autonomous systems, they pose unique challenges.

According to Waymo principal software engineer Pierre Kreitmann, freeways produce fewer critical incidents, which makes it harder to train self-driving algorithms to handle rare but high-stakes events — such as sudden braking or lane obstructions.

To overcome that, Waymo combined closed-course testing, public-road driving, and high-fidelity simulation, ensuring vehicles transition smoothly between surface streets and freeways and adapt to changing road conditions.

Waymo has also expanded its operational protocols to coordinate closely with the California Highway Patrol and other safety authorities.

From Test Tracks to Traffic Lanes

Waymo has been quietly preparing for this milestone. Its autonomous Jaguars and Pacificas have been spotted on freeways around Phoenix for months, and company employees have been taking internal freeway test rides for over a year.

The move toward freeway autonomy positions Waymo ahead of competitors like Cruise and Motional, which are still focused primarily on city driving. It also sets the stage for airport routes and long-distance rides, potentially transforming suburban and commuter travel.

As Waymo continues to scale, the company says the freeway rollout will expand “gradually and safely,” bringing fully driverless highway trips to more passengers over the next several months.