Waymo plans to start testing autonomous vehicles in 10 new cities this year, starting with Las Vegas and San Diego, according to The Verge. Although this

The self-driving taxi company Waymo launched in Los Angeles in November, bringing roughly 100 autonomous vehicles to neighborhoods from Santa Monica to West Hollywood.

The California Public Utilities Commission approved Waymo's autonomous vehicle program in Los Angeles in March 2024. The service was expanded to the public in November. Aside from Los Angeles, the company also has driverless cars in San Francisco and Phoenix, with plans to expand to Austin, Atlanta and Miami.

Google-backed Waymo moves ahead with expansion plans in a number of US cities in 2025, after a successful 2024 that saw 150,000 robotaxi rides every day. Amazon-backed Zoox is gearing up to expand service in Las Vegas this year with its proprietary shuttle without manual controls, offering conference-style seating to several passengers at once.

Shares of Uber and Lyft have come under pressure as Alphabet's Waymo expands autonomous vehicle testing to 10 new cities, including Las Vegas and San Diego.

I wrote about the imminent emergence of autonomous vehicles in Georgia last fall. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson announced plans for driverless podcars to shuttle jetsetters from the airport to the Georgia International Convention Center,

The vehicles Waymo receives from Geely, it says, are “base vehicles,” stripped of telematics systems and any other technology that would allow the vehicle to communicate with, or send data back to, its manufacturer. Only “authorized personnel” install Waymo's self-driving technology into the cars after they’re delivered to the United States.

As Phoenix continues to grow its transportation system — from light rail and buses to scooters and electric bikes — the mayor recently recognized a company that has led to global attention for the city.