Waymo D.C.

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Last Updated on: 25th March 2025, 04:53 pm

I knew it was coming. Waymo has been expanding faster and faster in the past couple of years, and it seemed certain that the company would bring its robotaxis to a new major market in 2025. In fact, I think it will expand into more than one city, but today we got big news of its latest expansion. Waymo One is going to Washington, D.C.

Oh, well, technically, Waymo One service launches next year, 2026, but the announcement came today. Naturally, Waymo will have to do some prep work in the city, and I presume that would tip off the plans in coming months. The company will also want to stir up consumer demand in the coming months so that it can launch with a bang.

“We’re laying the groundwork for our fully autonomous ride-hailing service after returning to Washington, D.C. earlier this year, and we’ll continue introducing ourselves to D.C.’s communities and emergency responders over the coming months. We’ll also continue to work closely with policymakers to formalize the regulations needed to operate without a human behind the wheel in the District,” the company noted in its blog about the news.

“Waymo One is making fully autonomous driving a reality for millions of people across the U.S.” adds Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana. “We’re excited to bring the comfort, consistency, and safety of Waymo One to Washingtonians, those who work and play in the city every day, and the millions of people from around the world who travel to the District every year.”

Being the secretive city of national and international politics that it is, I do wonder how much people will gravitate to the silence of a driverless robotaxi, or perhaps how much they will be deterred from having internal cameras and mics pointed at them. Hmm….

Waymo One may not be at “mass scale” yet — like Uber or Lyft are, or Tesla fans dream Tesla robotaxis could be with the flick of a switch … any day now. However, it has been scaling up and certainly operates a large number of vehicles compared to any traditional taxi fleet. Waymo One is currently providing about 200,000 rides a week, or about 30,000 a day. From west to east, it is operating in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin. The next two cities it is launching service are Atlanta and Miami, and then Washington, D.C.

Naturally, Waymo is getting endorsements and support for its move into D.C. “I’ve experienced firsthand how safely the Waymo Driver operates around pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users,” said Governors Highway Safety Association CEO Jonathan Adkins. “Waymo has worked with GHSA and our first responder network as they’ve expanded their service, always putting safety first. As someone who walks to work almost every day, I’m excited to share the road with Waymo in Washington, D.C.”

Waymo notes that it has driven more than 50 million fully autonomous miles to date. That’s quite an accomplishment, and it will reach another 50 million much quicker. Heck, it should get from here to 500 million quicker than it took to get to 50 million.