Waymo began offering paid autonomous rides to public passengers in Las Vegas on September 14, extending its commercial robotaxi network to a 15th U.S. metro and entering Nevada for the first time2,6,9.
The Alphabet subsidiary is onboarding riders on a rolling basis from a waitlist that already exceeds 100,000 sign-ups. The service launched with several dozen Ojai all-electric minivans equipped with Waymo's sixth-generation Driver hardware1. Las Vegas, Denver, and San Diego are the earliest markets to operate majority-Ojai fleets.
Coverage area and fleet
The initial operating zone spans nearly 24 square miles, covering Las Vegas Boulevard from Boulder Junction north to Sahara Avenue, including resort destinations such as The Venetian and Allegiant Stadium. Service extends into residential areas from the edge of Spring Valley to Winchester. Waymo said it plans to widen the footprint across Clark County as additional vehicles enter service.
The Ojai, built on a Zeekr vehicle platform, was designed specifically for fully autonomous ride-hailing and features three large LED screens and accessibility-focused cabin design5. "Cruising down Las Vegas Boulevard in a Waymo will make anyone feel like a high roller," said Jackie Hyun, head of marketing at Waymo.
Waymo became the official autonomous ride-hailing partner of the Las Vegas Raiders and Allegiant Stadium in August, with a dedicated pickup and drop-off area for event attendees.
Regulatory backdrop and competitors
The Nevada Transportation Authority approved Waymo's Autonomous Vehicle Network Company permit last month, authorizing paid passenger transportation in fully autonomous vehicles within Clark County. The same authority granted Tesla and Uber equivalent approvals. Nevada regulators have permitted up to 1,000 autonomous vehicles for Waymo, up to 5,000 for Tesla, and up to 1,000 for Uber operating through partnerships with Motional and Zoox in Clark County over the next year, totaling permits for up to 8,000 robotaxis across 12 months.
Zoox was the first robotaxi operator to launch commercially in Las Vegas, beginning paid rides in September 2025 and later expanding its footprint. Zoox began its current commercial operations last month, making it the only other operator offering paid public robotaxi rides in the city at the time of Waymo's launch8.
Nevada is the eighth state to host Waymo's service. The company also operates in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Waymo launched in San Antonio but later suspended operations there. On September 1, Waymo began welcoming public riders in Denver, San Diego, and Tampa. The company launched its robotaxi fleet in Munich in August, extending operations beyond the U.S..
Scale and safety record
Waymo's fleet currently includes more than 4,000 robotaxis distributed across more than a dozen cities. The company was valued at $126 billion in February when it raised $16 billion. Waymo said its autonomous system has been involved in 94% fewer crashes resulting in serious injuries or worse compared with human drivers, based on more than 220 million fully autonomous miles through March 2026. The same analysis showed an 82% reduction in crashes involving any reported injury.
Waymo's typical pattern is to open a new city by invitation and transition to general availability within one to two months. Separately, Waymo robotaxis in Nashville recently became bookable through both the Waymo app and Lyft, the first U.S. city with dual-platform availability[1].