Alphabet’s self-driving unit Waymo, intensifying its robotaxi operations, has announced plans to provide rides to the general public in Las Vegas, marking its initial entry into Nevada and expanding its service across more American states.
Waymo, which was valued at USD 126 billion in February 2026 when it raised USD 16 billion, has been growing its robotaxi fleet as it competes with Amazon’s Zoox and Elon Musk-led Tesla in the self-driving vehicle domain.
“Waymo will invite public riders to use its services in Las Vegas as it starts off with a few dozen vehicles, with plans to scale over time,” the venture remarked.
Waymo’s target is simple: challenging Zoox’s position as the sole robotaxi operator in the American city. Zoox has been offering paid rides to the public after it began commercial operations in Las Vegas last month.
Las Vegas will also be Waymo’s first public robotaxi market in Nevada, adding to its push beyond its established operations in California, Texas, Florida, and Arizona. The Alphabet unit will be expanding in markets like Denver, San Diego, and Tampa as well.
The Las Vegas service will be using Waymo’s sixth-generation self-driving system in the Ojai, its robotaxi built on a Zeekr vehicle platform.
Waymo has also announced a collaboration with Japanese taxi app operator GO and taxi company Nihon Kotsu, with the aim of launching the Asian giant’s first fully autonomous commercial taxi service in Tokyo in 2027.
The companies, initially, will be running a small fleet before scaling up to about 100 vehicles across key Tokyo neighborhoods, subject to regulatory approvals and the ongoing validation of Waymo’s technology and operating model.
“Once approvals are secured and the service is fully validated, it will operate without drivers and be available through both the GO and Waymo apps,” the companies said in a joint statement.
“From day one, this will be an unmanned service for the public,” Waymo Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana told reporters at a joint press conference in Tokyo.
“We’ll grow our fleet responsibly over time, steadily operating until anyone in Tokyo can download an app and take a ride,” she stated further.
The partnership with GO and Nihon Kotsu will be unlocking the next step of Waymo’s Japan push after the company began collecting data in Tokyo in 2025 using human-driven Jaguar I-PACE vehicles, its first public-road operations outside the United States.
The companies said the service could help address Japan’s driver shortage and its broader population decline.
Image Courtesy: Waymo