Waymo announced on Tuesday that it plans to start offering robotaxi rides through the Waymo One app in Washington D.C. in 2026. However, before this launch, the company will need to enhance its lobbying efforts in the capital, where current laws mandate a human driver for autonomous vehicle permits.
The announcement comes as Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, aggressively expands its robotaxi services to stay ahead of competitors like Amazon's Zoox and Tesla's Elon Musk, who plans to launch a robotaxi service in Austin this summer and in California later this year.
Waymo currently operates a commercial service in several cities, including Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin, in partnership with Uber. The company is also set to launch a robotaxi service in Atlanta this year and is working to map 10 more cities, with Miami on the agenda for 2026. Waymo's future success hinges on removing the human driver, and it aims to collaborate with lawmakers to revise permitting rules for fully autonomous vehicles.
