Waymo began fully autonomous driving in Detroit on Tuesday, ClickOnDetroit reported on October 6, 2026, citing the company1. Rides are initially available only to Waymo employees as the company establishes a safety framework for operating in the city.
The service covers downtown Detroit and surrounding neighborhoods including Corktown, Midtown, Hamtramck, and Indian Village, the report said. Waymo said it had spent several months familiarizing the Waymo Driver with the city, coordinating closely with local officials, and engaging with community members.
Waymo plans to open the Detroit service to public riders "in the near future" once the technology has been properly validated, according to ClickOnDetroit. No timeline for that transition was disclosed.
Detroit follows closely on Waymo's Las Vegas launch. The company opened its 15th U.S. robotaxi market in Las Vegas on September 14, 2026, deploying its Ojai minivan robotaxis in its first commercial Nevada operation[1]. ANALYSIS Adding Detroit within weeks of Las Vegas marks a sustained pace of geographic expansion for the Alphabet-owned company, now operating autonomous vehicles in a cold-weather Midwestern city that presents distinct road and climate conditions compared with its earlier markets.