Waymo Expands Robotaxi Service Area in California Despite Challenges

06/17/2025 Transportation

Waymo, the autonomous driving technology company, is continuing its expansion in California, increasing its robotaxi service area by 80 square miles. This expansion incorporates new areas within Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Silicon Valley, demonstrating Waymo's commitment to broadening its reach despite recent challenges.

This move brings Waymo's total commercial service area in California to over 250 square miles, effectively extending the availability of its driverless Jaguar I-Pace vehicles. It's worth noting that this expansion comes shortly after some Waymo vehicles were damaged during protests in Los Angeles, leading the company to temporarily scale back its services in certain areas.

Incidents like these highlight the complexities of deploying autonomous vehicles in real-world environments. While Waymo is taking necessary precautions by continually evaluating and adjusting its operations based on traffic, events, and local guidance, the company remains dedicated to its long-term growth strategy.

As a Waymo spokesperson, Chris Bonelli, stated, the company is still temporarily limiting the service in parts of Los Angeles, including downtown. However, they are closely monitoring the situation and plan to ramp up service again soon.

Starting this week, Waymo's service will be accessible to riders in several new communities. In the San Francisco Bay Area, this includes Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae, and Burlingame. Furthermore, the service will also be available in the Silicon Valley towns of Palo Alto and Menlo Park.

In Los Angeles, Waymo is expanding its service area to include neighborhoods like Playa del Rey, Ladera Heights, Echo Park, Silver Lake, and the entirety of Sunset Boulevard. Now, riders can travel from Mid-City to Inglewood and Westchester using La Cienega and La Brea. According to Waymo, they now serve more than 120 square miles of Los Angeles County.

The company has seen significant growth in its operations, with weekly paid trips across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin increasing five-fold since June 2024. Today, Waymo serves over a quarter of a million paid trips per week across those four markets. Waymo's fleet includes over 400 vehicles in Los Angeles and more than 600 in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This expansion showcases Waymo's determination to solidify its position in the autonomous vehicle market. Despite facing obstacles, Waymo's progress reflects the growing demand for and acceptance of robotaxi services, demonstrating its potential to transform urban transportation.