Waymo Wins Approval to Bring Driverless Robotaxis to 18 California Counties

A Major Milestone for Autonomous Ride-Hailing

Waymo says California regulators have signed off on the biggest expansion of its robotaxi service yet, covering 18 counties from Sonoma down to San Diego. The approval, granted on August 14, marks a turning point not just for the Alphabet-owned company, but for how millions of Californians may get around in the coming years.

The California Public Utilities Commission approval clears Waymo to charge for fully driverless rides across the whole Bay Area and Los Angeles, and to open two brand-new markets in Sacramento and San Diego. The approval covers 18 counties across Northern and Southern California: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura.

How It Got Here

The CPUC's approval appears to be in response to a letter Waymo filed in January asking for approval on a safety plan so it can offer rides in the expanded service area it announced in November 2025. Regulators suspended the request through September 25 for further review, and Waymo filed a supplemental letter in May covering unaccompanied minors and rider procedures during service disruptions.

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System and its Taxicab Advisory Committee protested the January filing, warning about blocked streets, trolley tracks, taxi jobs, and the lack of local veto power. However, CPUC staff said those arguments do not meet the protest rules, treating them as policy fights already decided or as issues for the DMV and a separate rulemaking. Meanwhile, 29 groups backed the first letter, and eight more backed the May supplement.

What the Expansion Actually Looks Like

The CPUC's approval allows Waymo to operate on freeways, highways, city streets, rural roads, parking lots, driveways, and rail crossings — both day and night, and in rain, fog, and hail — with the only significant restriction being during widespread snow or ice. The latest permission allows Waymo to utilize its existing fleet of Jaguar I-Pace vehicles, as well as new Ojai robotaxis — state-of-the-art minivans designed in partnership with the Chinese automaker Zeekr.

The company did not provide a timeline for launching service in the new areas but said the expansion would be "gradual and guided by our safety framework." Public access in San Diego and Sacramento is expected to follow the gradual pattern used elsewhere, building on existing testing and employee rides. Residents in those cities shouldn't expect to hail a driverless car tomorrow — but the regulatory green light is the critical hurdle that had to be cleared first.

The Bigger Picture for Autonomous Transportation

As of May 2026, Waymo's service area spanned 1,400 square miles across 11 cities, supported by a fleet of approximately 3,000 all-electric vehicles. Nationally, the company continues to scale toward higher weekly trip volumes — from the current 500,000 paid rides per week to a million — and has outlined further U.S. markets and international entry in London.

Compare that to Tesla, which runs a "Robotaxi" service in the same Bay Area with a human sitting in the driver's seat. In March, CPUC deputy executive director Pat Tsen said flatly that "Tesla is not operating an autonomous vehicle service" and that what Tesla holds is a charter-party carrier permit — the same one a limousine company gets — which doesn't come with AV safety reporting, data transparency, or the quarterly filings Waymo must submit. The contrast underscores just how far ahead Waymo sits in the race to make truly driverless transportation a commercial reality. With 18 California counties now under its belt, the question is no longer whether robotaxis will become mainstream — it's how soon.