Waymo Is Now in 10 US Cities — And Tesla Is Getting Left Behind
On February 24, 2026, Waymo opened its fully autonomous robotaxi service to public riders in four new cities simultaneously: Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando. It was the first time any robotaxi company had expanded into multiple major markets at the same time — and it pushed Waymo’s total to 10 operational US cities.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s robotaxi program still has 44 vehicles active in Austin. Elon Musk had predicted 500 by the end of 2025.
What the Expansion Looks Like
Waymo’s 10-city footprint now covers Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix, San Antonio, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Select riders who downloaded the Waymo app in the four new cities received invitations starting February 24. Waymo said it will scale access on a rolling basis with plans to open service to everyone in those markets later in 2026.
The company is targeting 1 million weekly rides by the end of 2026. It crossed 400,000 weekly rides across its existing six cities before the expansion, up from 200,000 a year earlier. The growth is accelerating, not plateauing.
Why the Texas and Florida Focus
It’s not a coincidence that all four new cities are in Republican-dominated states. Waymo’s expansion has repeatedly hit regulatory walls in blue cities — Boston, New York, and Seattle have all had delays tied to local union pushback or missing legislation. Texas and Florida, by contrast, have favorable autonomous vehicle laws and city governments actively competing to attract the technology.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson called Waymo’s arrival “a symbol of Dallas’s forward-thinking business climate.” Houston City Council Member Sallie Alcorn noted she had ridden Waymo “many times on the West Coast” and was excited to bring it home. The reception in these markets reflects a broad trend: mid-sized American cities are now competing for robotaxi launches the way they used to compete for corporate headquarters.
Where Waymo Goes Next
Beyond the current 10, Waymo has announced upcoming launches in Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, London (its first international market), Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington D.C. Testing is already underway in most of these cities.
The company is valued at $126 billion after raising $16 billion in a recent funding round led by Dragoneer, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has said he expects Waymo to become “meaningful in our financials” by 2027–2028.
Tesla’s Robotaxi Reality Check
Tesla’s situation is dramatically different. The company launched its robotaxi service in Austin in June 2025 using existing Model Y vehicles — not the dedicated Cybercab that Musk has been promising. As of now, only 44 vehicles are active in Austin, with some vehicles in the Bay Area. The combined fleet is well under 300 total, compared to Waymo’s approximately 3,000.
Musk had predicted Tesla would serve “half the US population” with robotaxis by the end of 2025. That target was missed by orders of magnitude. He has since said Cybercab production will begin in April 2026 — but Tesla has a documented history of production timelines slipping, and critics note that camera-only autonomy still lacks the safety validation record that Waymo’s sensor-fusion approach has built over 200 million fully autonomous miles.
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