Want to ride in a driverless vehicle? Waymo has launched in these parts of Miami
After a year of testing its self-driving taxis on the streets of Miami, Waymo said Thursday it’s launching service in most of the city, as well as in Coral Gables and South Miami.
The company, owned by Google parent Alphabet Inc., has been aggressively expanding its service, which is not subject to routine regulation by any government agency, to stay ahead of competition from other providers, including Tesla.
Riders summon Waymo’s autonomous vehicles through an app. In a release, the company said its cars are now available for rides in an area of 60 square miles, including Miami neighborhoods stretching from Coconut Grove to the Design District and Wynwood, as well as the suburban cities of West Miami, Coral Gables and South Miami. Service to Miami International Airport is coming soon, Waymo said.
The service is already available in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and parts of Austin.
READ MORE: What does it feel like to ride in a Waymo driverless car? Watch this Florida couple
The company touts what it claims is the safety and reliability of its autonomous cars, which rely on artificial intelligence, laser and radar for guidance, but it’s been plagued by reports of sometimes significant issues and safety lapses with their operation, in some cases leading to injuries.
In December in San Francisco, hundreds of Waymo vehicles stalled in traffic amid a power outage, worsening the resulting chaos. Earlier this month, a video circulated of a Waymo that appeared to stall out on the Venetian Causeway between Miami and Miami Beach. Reports of Waymos driving erratically, often the result of unpredictable traffic conditions, have also surfaced regularly, though the company says it has addressed and resolved those.
Waymo claims its vehicles have demonstrated they are safer than cars driven by humans after driving 127 million miles in fully autonomous mode.
Experts, however, note that’s impossible to verify independently. Critics say the company releases information in a selective and sometimes misleading fashion. Moreover, they say, the cars would have to be driven billions of miles before any conclusions about their safety is scientifically reliable.
This story has been updated to better reflect criticisms of Waymo’s data practices.
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 2:28 PM.