Waymo has begun offering driverless ride-hailing services in Miami, Florida, marking its sixth city for level 4 robotaxis. The service covers a 60-square-mile area around downtown. This expansion comes as Tesla initiates a limited driverless operation in Austin.
On January 22, 2026, Waymo started autonomous ride-hailing operations in Miami, Florida. The service area spans 60 square miles, including downtown, Little Havana, Coral Gables, the design district, West Miami, and South Miami, but excludes Miami Beach. Miami ranks among the slowest, most congested, and deadliest cities for driving in the US, presenting a challenging environment for the technology.
Access is initially limited to users on a waitlist, with around 10,000 residents already signed up via the Waymo app. Invites will expand to others who join. This makes Miami Waymo's sixth US city, alongside Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, and partnerships in Atlanta and Austin through Uber. The Miami zone is the smallest so far, comparable to Atlanta's 60 square miles, while Phoenix and San Francisco exceed hundreds of square miles, and Austin and Los Angeles surpass 100.
Waymo's level 4 system operates without a driver in geofenced areas and claims a ten-fold reduction in serious injuries, backed by peer-reviewed studies from internal data. The company plans further growth, listing 11 cities as next and collecting data in 12 more, including London and Tokyo.
In comparison, Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) remains at level 2, requiring an attentive human driver. Tesla reports 5-7 times fewer collisions but with less robust data. Its Robotaxi service, previously with safety monitors, now removes them from a few vehicles in Austin—moving supervisors to chase cars—while San Francisco operations still include drivers in the seat. Tesla had promised robotaxi coverage for half the US population by late 2025, but coverage is now limited to thousands in Austin. Elon Musk has claimed Tesla's superiority, stating Waymo "never had a chance." Recently, Waymo faced criticism for not stopping for school buses.
