Waymo, the driverless taxi company that operates in more than 10 cities, will soon serve customers in San Diego.
The company has been testing its autonomous vehicles in San Diego with a safety driver behind the wheel since earlier this year. Rides without a human driver became available to employees on Thursday and will open to the public later this year.
Waymo, which announced the expansion Wednesday, will also bring its taxis to Tampa, Las Vegas and Denver.
“If you're in one of these four new cities, download the app to be notified when it's time to travel,” the company said in a blog post.
Waymo offers fully autonomous rides in San Francisco starting in 2022 and in Los Angeles starting in 2024.
It also serves clients in Nashville, Phoenix, Miami and other cities.
In May, Waymo launched a cheaper robotaxi called Ojai, which is better equipped for difficult driving conditions, such as snowy roads.
The Ojai will complement Waymo's fleet of Jaguar I-Paces, the company said. In San Diego, services will be provided with Ojai.
Waymo also announced Wednesday that it will begin autonomous driving with a safety driver in its newest retrofitted vehicle, the Hyundai IONIQ 5.
“This phase allows us to validate our technology for fully autonomous operations as we work to give riders even more ways to enjoy Waymo in the future,” the company said.
The company plans to eventually make tens of thousands of driverless taxis per year, starting with the Ojai and then expanding with the IONIQ 5.
The move to San Diego and three other cities widens the gap between Waymo and its competitors in the robotaxi race.
Elon Musk's Tesla robotaxis and Amazon-owned Zoox are autonomously transporting customers, but they're nowhere near the scale at which Waymo operates.
Other companies are working on autonomous trucks and freight trains.
Waymo's San Diego service area will include Pacific Beach, Normal Heights, La Playa and Southcrest, among other neighborhoods, the company said.
