Ready to Ride: Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando

Today, we continue our accelerated growth and welcome the first public riders into our fully autonomous ride-hailing service in four new cities: Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando. In addition to marking the first time we’ve opened to the public in multiple cities simultaneously, this brings our total commercial metro areas to 10, and deepens our commitment in the states of Texas and Florida.

Select riders from the tens of thousands in these cities who have downloaded the Waymo app will receive an invitation to take their first local rides today. We will be inviting new riders on a rolling basis to ensure a seamless experience across our initial service areas, as we meaningfully scale our operations ahead of opening our service to everyone later this year.

Waymo is the only company successfully operating a commercial fully autonomous ride-hailing service at scale in multiple complex urban environments, and we’re ramping up with these new expansions. We’ll continue to follow our market entry playbook, always leading with safety, and continue to engage the community to earn trust and generate excitement to ride.

“Waymo is serving more riders than ever, as we are on track to serve over one million rides per week by the end of this year,” said Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo. “Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando are critical to our plans, as we lay groundwork for service in 20+ cities. Each community has its own unique charm and transportation needs, and we’re eager to provide a safe, reliable, and magical way for locals and visitors to travel.”

Our generalizable technology handles each city’s unique environment, from the bright midday sun to sudden downpours to freezing temperatures. New riders will use our reliable service to travel to their city’s popular destinations, like a night out in Dallas’s Bishop Arts District, seeing a show at Houston’s Toyota Center, catching a San Antonio Spurs game, or experiencing one of Orlando’s latest attractions.

City and community leaders have welcomed Waymo’s fully autonomous service in their communities:

“Dallas is excited for Waymo to launch operations in our city, providing Dallas residents and visitors with new, innovative transportation options,” said Eric L. Johnson, Dallas Mayor. “The availability of Waymo’s fully autonomous ride service further cements Dallas’s reputation as one of America’s most innovative and dynamic cities. Together, we are putting public safety first while building a more connected city.”

“We’ve been working with Waymo for several months to make today’s announcement possible,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “The launch of their commercial service in Orlando is another example of our city’s forward thinking and commitment to innovation. Starting today, our residents will have another option to safely move about the area, and our visitors will be welcomed with the world class mobility they deserve. Welcome to Orlando, Waymo!” 

“I am a big fan of Waymo and have ridden in them many times on the West Coast—it is a fun and futuristic experience,” said Houston City Council Member Sallie Alcorn. “I'm thrilled that we are now launching limited access public rides here in Houston. It will give both Houstonians and visitors another safe, high-tech way to get around during exciting upcoming events like the World Baseball Classic and the World Cup."

“The Greater San Antonio Chamber is proud to celebrate Waymo’s expansion to limited public rides here in San Antonio,” Katie Ferrier, SVP Public Policy & Economic Development, The Greater San Antonio Chamber. “This milestone reflects months of thoughtful planning and a shared commitment to innovation. Waymo’s investment here signals confidence in San Antonio’s workforce, infrastructure, and forward-thinking business climate.”

With over 200 million fully autonomous miles traveled, we are proud to improve road safety in cities where we operate. Data from over 127 million miles traveled shows we achieved a ten-fold reduction in serious injury or worse crashes and 12-fold reduction in injury crashes with pedestrians compared to human drivers, and we are excited to bring these safety benefits to Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando.

We believe that the best way to serve a community is to listen to the people who live there. That’s why we’re working closely with local organizations in these new cities - including Downtown Dallas Inc., Bike Houston, Vibrant Works, and Lighthouse Central Florida - to ensure our service meets the diverse needs of their residents. 

Ready to ride? Download the Waymo app, and we'll let you know when your seat is ready.