Driverless Waymo Robotaxis Approved In Lake Elsinore, Murrieta, Temecula, Wildomar, Other RivCo Cities

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The automated ride-hailing service, Waymo, officially got the green light to start service across California, including in several Riverside County cities.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles approved the major expansion of the robotaxis by allowing the Google-owned company to operate its fully autonomous vehicles in hundreds of Golden State cities.

The DMV approved the cars for "testing and deployment" in these Riverside County cities: Corona, Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, Lake Elsinore, Murrieta, Norco, Riverside, Temecula, and Wildomar. The cars were also approved for the Pechanga Reservation.

Waymo can operate driverless autonomous vehicles around the clock for testing, with no weather-related limits or speed restrictions (outside of posted speed limits). However, paid services in these areas requires a separate operating permit from the state Public Utilities Commission.

Mountain View, Calif.-based Google began with limited service but has expanded into more areas, starting with robotaxis using freeways in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Phoenix earlier this month. The company also expanded service to San Francisco and San Jose airports.

The new policy covers two models, the Jaguar I-PACE, which Waymo has been operating for its taxi service, and the Zeekr RT from China’s Geely Automobile.

See the complete list of California cities approved by the DMV for the testing and deployment of Waymo robotaxis.