Waymo launches fully driverless ride-hailing in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Orlando

Select Houstonians in a roughly 25-square-mile section within the I-610 loop began receiving invitations Feb. 24 to hail Waymo’s fully driverless ride-hailing service, the company announced as it opened limited public operations in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Orlando. Waymo said this simultaneous multi-city opening brings its commercial operations to 10 U.S. metro areas and is the first time the company has opened to the public in multiple cities at once.

Waymo said tens of thousands of residents in the four new cities have already downloaded the Waymo app and that “select riders from the tens of thousands in these cities who have downloaded the Waymo app will receive an invitation to take their first local rides today. We will be inviting new riders on a rolling basis to ensure a seamless experience across our initial service areas, as we meaningfully scale our operations ahead of opening our service to everyone later this year.”

In Houston the initial service area covers a portion of the I-610 loop and specifically includes downtown Houston, Midtown, Montrose, River Oaks and the Houston Heights, according to Waymo-provided materials and company statements. A company spokesperson described the local fleet as “dozens of Waymo cars” operating at launch, with more vehicles to be added as the rollout continues. Waymo also provided a map of autonomous vehicle operations on Feb. 24 that shows the limited urban footprint.

The Houston fleet uses electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles equipped with lidar and high-resolution mapping; Waymo said its sensors and onboard computers “paint a 3D picture” of the car’s surroundings and adjust driving behavior to environmental changes. The company stated its autonomous program has logged more than 200 million miles in autonomous driving operations companywide and that Houston testing on local roads lasted more than six months prior to opening rides to the public.

Waymo framed the expansion as both a safety-first market push and a growth milestone. In company copy Waymo asserted, “Waymo is the only company successfully operating a commercial fully autonomous ride-hailing service at scale in multiple complex urban environments, and we’re ramping up with these new expansions.” Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said Waymo is “on track to serve over one million rides per week by the end of this year,” and the company has publicly set a longer-term goal of expanding to 20-plus cities.

The rollout comes as public opinion remains mixed; a 2025 American Automobile Association survey found six in 10 U.S. drivers said they were fearful of driverless cars. Waymo faces a field of rivals including Tesla, Amazon-owned Zoox and startups such as Waabi and Nuro as it seeks to lock in riders in Texas and Florida markets.

Local leaders welcomed the service. Houston City Council Member Sallie Alcorn said, “I am a big fan of Waymo and have ridden in them many times on the West Coast — it is a fun and futuristic experience. I’m thrilled that we are now launching limited-access public rides here in Houston. It will give both Houstonians and visitors another safe, high-tech way to get around during exciting upcoming events like the World Baseball Classic and the World Cup.” In Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson said, “Dallas is excited for Waymo to launch operations in our city, providing Dallas residents and visitors with new, innovative transportation options.”

To ride in Houston residents should download the Waymo app and join the waiting list; invitations will be rolled out on a rolling basis with the company planning to open service to everyone later this year as more vehicles join the fleet and public confidence grows.