Waymo's robotaxis begin using highways in three US cities, including San Jose Mineta International Airport

Waymo's robotaxis, which are gradually expanding their service area, are now available on highways in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. They will also be opening a Bay Area service base in San Jose, making robotaxis available at San Jose Mineta International Airport.

Taking riders further, safely with freeways

Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, San Francisco, and Phoenix | TechCrunch

Waymo begins offering freeway robotaxi rides in 3 major markets
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/12/waymo-robotaxi-starts-freeway-highway-rides.html

Waymo launched its robotaxi service using self-driving cars in Phoenix, Arizona in 2020, and is expanding its service area to California and other areas.

However, until now, the service has mainly been available within metropolitan areas, and robotaxis have only been limited to local roads. However, it has now been announced that they will also be operating on highways that run from Phoenix to Los Angeles and across San Francisco.

Waymo says this will reduce ride times by up to 50%.

In addition, the addition of expressways is expected to stimulate new demand, such as travel between metropolitan areas in the San Francisco Bay Area and commuting between Los Angeles and Phoenix.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, establishing a base in San Jose will expand the service area and, with the availability of highways, will enable robotaxis to be used at San Jose Mineta International Airport, the second airport Waymo has operated at, following Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in 2023.

According to Jacopo Sannazzaro, Waymo's product manager, Waymo has been testing on highways for over 10 years, conducting simulations to determine how vehicles respond to a variety of common and difficult-to-reproduce situations, such as merging, the presence of a motorcycle crossing a lane, and a rollover accident involving another vehicle.