Waymo Has Arrived In Silicon Valley. What To Know About The Robotaxi

PALO ALTO, CA — Silicon Valley residents can now hail a ride from the world's first automated taxi company as Waymo officially opened its services in the region this week.

Waymo, which began offering driverless rides in San Francisco in 2023, announced in a release that it is now offering 24/7 autonomous ride service to Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto, and parts of Sunnyvale beginning Tuesday.

The company called the news a "full circle" moment, as Waymo's first autonomous testing took place in Mountain View in 2009.

"Opening our fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Silicon Valley marks a special milestone in our Bay Area journey," said Waymo's Chief Product Officer Saswat Panigrahi. "This is where Waymo began and where we’re headquartered. Now we're bringing seamless rides, safer streets, and sustainable transportation to our local community.”

The service will be offered across 27 square miles in Silicon Valley. Rides will first be offered to Waymo One users who live in the area, the company said.

The company recently expanded service in the Bay Area when it began service in parts of the Peninsula last summer.

Community Services Agency of Silicon Valley also just partnered with Waymo to help underserved and vulnerable residents access transportation.

"Our senior services case managers will use Waymo to make home visits to individuals too frail to come in, as well as to accompany seniors on critical medical appointments," said Brandi Jothimani, senior services program director for CSA. "Having a safe option for senior transportation is a huge benefit to the local community.”

Across all of its coverage areas, Waymo said it now expects to cover more than 1 million miles each week with more than 200,000 paid passenger trips anticipated.

California regulators first allowed the company to send its driverless cars out on the road in San Francisco just under two years ago. Waymo is now competing with ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft in the Golden State.

However, the Silicon Valley service announcement comes less than a year after Waymo officially opened to the public.