Waymo Launches Robotaxis in 15th U.S. City

Waymo began offering paid, fully autonomous trips to public riders in Las Vegas, its 15th U.S. city. Service starts in a 24-mile zone around the Strip and is slated to widen across Clark County. The fleet is mostly all-electric Ojai minivans with sixth-generation Waymo Driver hardware. Nevada's Transportation Authority approved Waymo's permit in August and gave Tesla and Uber the same green light for Clark County. Google shares rose 3% Monday afternoon after the announcement. Waymo said it is working to open the service to all riders in the area. The Las Vegas start followed Waymo openings earlier in September in Denver, San Diego, and Tampa that had brought its U.S. total to 14, plus an August launch in Munich. Zoox began operating in Las Vegas in September of the prior year. Tesla launched Cybercab in Austin on September 3 with a fleet grown to 45 units and secured approval for up to 5,000 robotaxis in Nevada. Zoox started testing with human safety drivers in Houston and San Diego, moving toward a 12th U.S. city.