Waymo Expands Autonomous Rides to Employees in Atlanta

Waymo Expands Driverless Robotaxi Operations to Atlanta

Waymo has announced the commencement of fully driverless robotaxi services for its employees in Atlanta. This represents a significant advancement towards the public launch of the service, anticipated later in 2025.

Recent Funding and Market Expansion

This development underscores Waymo’s ongoing expansion into new geographical markets. It follows a successful $5.6 billion Series C funding round concluded two months prior, which valued the company at $45 billion.

The funding round attracted substantial investment from prominent firms, including Alphabet, Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity, and Tiger Global, among others.

Upcoming City Tests

Earlier this week, Waymo revealed its intention to initiate testing programs in ten additional cities throughout the current year. The initial phase of these tests will take place in San Diego and Las Vegas.

Partnership with Uber

Upon the official commercial launch of Waymo’s robotaxi service in Atlanta, access will be provided exclusively through the Uber application. A collaborative launch is also planned for Austin, Texas, later this year.

Waymo initially extended robotaxi rides to a limited number of public users in Austin last October, following a seven-month period of employee-only access.

Competition with Tesla

Waymo’s Atlanta milestone arrives shortly after Elon Musk’s announcement regarding Tesla’s planned robotaxi service launch in Austin during June. Currently, Tesla has not yet deployed a fully autonomous vehicle for public use that doesn't necessitate a human driver prepared to assume control.

Existing Service Areas

Waymo currently operates its autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One, in several major metropolitan areas, including San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.

Here's a summary of Waymo's current and planned operations:

• Current Operations: San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles (Waymo One)
• Employee Testing: Atlanta
• Planned Launches: Austin (with Uber), San Diego, Las Vegas, and seven other cities.
• Public Launch Target: Atlanta (late 2025)