Robotaxis Explained: How Waymo, Tesla and Zoox Differ
Waymo retrofits existing cars and ran in 15 US markets as of September 2026. Tesla relies on cameras and its Cybercab. Zoox builds a vehicle with no steering wheel under a federal exemption.
// robotaxis & self-driving
Robotaxi Cities Tracker
A dated log of where Waymo, Tesla, Zoox, Baidu Apollo Go, Pony.ai and WeRide carry riders in driverless cars. It notes whether each launch is public, paid and staffed, and lists announced future launches.
Researched and fact-checked by AI, with no human review. How we verify
27 entries from 28 sources. Checked for news daily; last checked
What this tracker follows
This tracker follows where driverless ride-hailing services, often called robotaxis, carry passengers. It covers six operators: Waymo, Tesla, Zoox, Baidu's Apollo Go, Pony.ai and WeRide. Entries run from Waymo opening fully driverless rides to the public in Phoenix in October 2020 to launches announced through September 2026. It was last reviewed on October 6, 2026.
An entry is added when one of these operators starts carrying riders in a city, changes who may ride, begins charging fares, or adds or removes onboard staff. Each entry notes, where the source states it, whether the public can ride and whether rides are paid. Sources often use the word "commercial" for paid rides. Each entry also notes, where stated, whether a safety driver or monitor is in the vehicle. Regulatory approvals appear only when they directly unlock a service. Announced future launches are listed as scheduled, with the operator's own target and the date it was stated. Targets can slip.
Left out on purpose: road testing without passengers, vehicle unveilings, funding, crashes, recalls, investigations, and operators outside the six. The list is selective rather than a full census of every service area change. For scale, TechCrunch reported on September 17, 2026, that Waymo was offering paid rides in 15 US cities. Statements by companies about their own services are attributed to them.
Scheduled next
Targets set by the organizations named. Dates like these often move.
Scheduled
Waymo targets a 2028 public launch in Singapore
Waymo said on September 17, 2026, that it intends to open a fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing service to the public in Singapore in 2028. It said it is working with the Ministry of Transport and Land Transport Authority. Trained specialists are due to drive manually there in 2027 first.
Source: Singapore, Next Stop: Bringing Scalable, Safe Autonomous Mobility to the Lion City, Waymo
Scheduled
Waymo, Nihon Kotsu and GO plan a 2027 public launch in Tokyo
Waymo said on September 14, 2026, that it aims to start carrying public riders in Tokyo in fully autonomous cars in 2027. It said this would be a commercial service with partners Nihon Kotsu and GO. It said the timing depends on regulatory approval and further validation. Nihon Kotsu crew currently supervise its cars.
Source: Opening our doors to Tokyo riders in 2027 with Nihon Kotsu and GO, Waymo
Scheduled
Waymo aims to open Munich service toward the end of 2027
TechCrunch reported on August 25, 2026, that Waymo expects to open commercial ride-hailing to the public in Munich toward the end of 2027, after mapping and testing with safety drivers. Waymo held no German permits at the time. The report said Waymo also planned a commercial London launch in 2026.
Scheduled
Baidu Apollo Go and Freenow by Lyft target 2027 for London rides
Baidu and Freenow by Lyft said in July 2026 that they expect to let the public hail Apollo Go robotaxis in London in 2027, subject to regulatory approval, TechCrunch reported. Testing began on July 28, 2026, in the borough of Brent with human safety operators. The report gives no fare details.
Source: Lyft and Baidu enter London's robotaxi battleground as testing begins, TechCrunch
Scheduled
WeRide, Uber and AVOMO expect Madrid-area service by end of 2026
On September 10, 2026, WeRide said Spain's traffic authority had granted a permit to it, Uber and AVOMO. It called this the country's first national permit for Level 4 passenger vehicles. It said mapping was starting around Madrid. It expects commercial service by the end of 2026, at first with an in-car specialist.
Timeline
Waymo welcomes its first public riders in Las Vegas
Waymo said it had begun fully autonomous trips for its first public riders in Las Vegas, in an area that runs from Boulder Junction along the Strip to Sahara Avenue. It said it would add riders steadily before opening to everyone. The post does not mention fares.
Source: Vegas, Deal Us In! We’re welcoming riders today, Waymo
Pony.ai and Verne begin driverless test rides with passengers in Zagreb
Pony.ai and Verne said invited passengers could take fully driverless test rides on public roads in Zagreb. They said the 22-kilometer route links Verne's headquarters and a business district with the airport. They called the driverless test rides a European first and said the commercial service has used an onboard operator.
Waymo begins invite-only rides in Denver, San Diego and Tampa
Waymo said it would invite riders on a rolling basis in Denver, San Diego and Tampa. TechCrunch said this took its commercial operations to 14 US cities and that Waymo's usual sequence removes the human safety operator before guests ride. Riders in Denver and San Diego get only Ojai minivans.
Source: Waymo accelerates robotaxi expansion with launches in Denver, San Diego, and Tampa, TechCrunch
Pony.ai and Verne robotaxis become bookable on Uber in Zagreb
Uber, Verne and Pony.ai said riders in key areas of Zagreb, including the city center, could book autonomous rides in the Uber app from 07:00 to 21:00. A licensed operator sits behind the wheel during this phase. The release says Verne launched a commercial robotaxi service there in April 2026.
Source: Uber launches autonomous rides in Europe, Pony.ai (joint release with Uber and Verne)
Waymo opens Houston service to everyone
Waymo said anyone in Houston could now download its app and hail a fully autonomous ride. It said more than 100,000 riders from its interest list had used the service since it opened there in February. The post does not mention fares.
Zoox begins charging fares in Las Vegas
Zoox started charging for rides in Las Vegas on August 10, 2026, after a temporary federal safety exemption allowed commercial service, and added airport trips on September 3, TechCrunch reported. It had carried customers there for about a year. Its robotaxis have no steering wheel or pedals.
Source: Amazon's Zoox expands its robotaxi service to Las Vegas airport, TechCrunch
Tesla starts Robotaxi pilots in Orlando and Tampa
TechCrunch reported that Tesla brought an unspecified number of unsupervised Model Y vehicles to Orlando and Tampa, a few weeks after a small Miami launch. It said the service areas appeared fairly small and Tesla gave no further details. The report does not say who can ride or what fares apply.
Source: Tesla spins up robotaxi pilots in Orlando and Tampa ahead of Q2 earnings, TechCrunch
Tesla announces Robotaxi rollout in Dallas and Houston
Tesla said in a social media post that Robotaxi was rolling out in Dallas and Houston, with video of cars with no driver or monitor in the front seat. TechCrunch said crowdsourced data on the Robotaxi Tracker website showed one vehicle in each city. The report gives no rider access or fare details.
Source: Tesla brings its robotaxi service to Dallas and Houston, TechCrunch
Baidu's Apollo Go launches driverless commercial service in Dubai
Baidu said Apollo Go had launched a fully driverless commercial ride-hailing service in Dubai with the Roads and Transport Authority, open to residents and visitors through its app. It said it got Dubai's first permit to test without a safety driver in January 2026. Fares are not stated.
WeRide and Uber start driverless fare-charging rides in Dubai
WeRide said it and Uber began fare-charging robotaxi operations in Dubai with no vehicle operator on board, starting in the Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim districts. Riders book through the Autonomous option in the Uber app. A supervised trial had run since December 2025.
Waymo opens invite-only rides in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando
Waymo said it welcomed its first public riders in four cities at once, inviting selected app users on a rolling basis to its fully autonomous service. It said this brought its commercial metro areas to 10 and that it planned to open the service to everyone later in 2026.
Source: Ready to Ride: Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando, Waymo
Tesla begins Austin rides with no safety monitor in the car
Elon Musk said Tesla had started Robotaxi drives in Austin with no safety monitor in the car. Tesla's AI lead said a few such vehicles would be mixed into a fleet that otherwise kept monitors. Rides were paid, according to a rider's post, and a chase car appeared to follow.
Source: Tesla launches robotaxi rides in Austin with no human safety driver, TechCrunch
Waymo opens Miami service to waitlisted public riders
Waymo said it would open its Miami service, on a rolling basis, to the nearly 10,000 residents on its waitlist. Accepted riders can hail cars in a 60-square-mile area that includes Wynwood, Brickell and Coral Gables. Safety operators left the fleet in November 2025. Fares are not stated.
Source: Waymo continues robotaxi ramp up with Miami service now open to public, TechCrunch
Pony.ai and Mowasalat launch paid pilot service in Doha
Pony.ai says it and Qatar's Mowasalat (Karwa) launched a commercial pilot in Doha in December 2025, with fare-charging rides booked through the Karwa app and trained safety operators on board. The company gave the details in a September 2026 update.
Source: Pony.ai Highlights Progress of Doha Robotaxi Commercial Operations at AEMOB Forum, Pony.ai
Uber and WeRide remove safety operators in Abu Dhabi
Uber and WeRide said their commercial robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi now runs with no human safety operator on board, TechCrunch reported on November 25, 2025. Members of the public can request it in the Uber app, at first on Yas Island routes. The service had launched about a year earlier.
Source: Uber and WeRide's robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi is officially driverless, TechCrunch
Zoox opens San Francisco rides to invited waitlist members
Zoox said it would invite some waitlist members into its Zoox Explorer early-rider program in San Francisco, covering SoMa, the Mission and the Design District. Rides were free because its federal exemption did not yet cover commercial operations. Its vehicles have no steering wheel or pedals.
Source: Zoox to begin offering robotaxi rides to public in San Francisco, TechCrunch
Zoox opens free Las Vegas robotaxi service to the public
Zoox opened its Las Vegas service to adults who download its app, with pickups and drop-offs limited to five destinations such as Resorts World and Luxor. Rides were free; Zoox said it needed regulatory approval before charging. Its custom vehicles have no steering wheel or pedals.
Source: Zoox opens its Las Vegas robotaxi service to the public, TechCrunch
Tesla launches invite-only Robotaxi rides in Austin
Tesla began giving rides in Model Y vehicles in a narrow area of South Austin to invited customers for a flat $4.20 fare. A Tesla employee sat in the front passenger seat as a safety monitor. Elon Musk said the initial fleet would be about 10 vehicles.
Source: Tesla launches robotaxi rides in Austin with big promises and unanswered questions, TechCrunch
Waymo opens Los Angeles service to everyone
Waymo said anyone in Los Angeles could now take fully autonomous rides around the clock across nearly 80 square miles of LA County. It said the opening came after nearly 300,000 people had joined its waitlist. It said earlier riders had taken hundreds of thousands of paid trips in the city.
California regulator approves paid driverless rides at all hours in San Francisco
The California Public Utilities Commission approved permits letting Waymo and Cruise charge fares for driverless passenger service in San Francisco at any time of day. Previously Waymo could charge for rides across the city only with a safety driver present.
Baidu wins permits for driverless commercial rides in Wuhan and Chongqing
TechCrunch reported that Baidu had secured permits to run a fully driverless commercial robotaxi service through Apollo Go in parts of Wuhan and Chongqing. Each city was to start with five vehicles in a set zone during daytime hours. Baidu said it was the first such service in China.
Source: Baidu to operate fully driverless commercial robotaxi in Wuhan and Chongqing, TechCrunch
Waymo opens fully driverless rides to the public in Phoenix
Waymo opened its fully driverless offering to existing Waymo One riders in the Phoenix area and said more people would be admitted through its app over the following weeks. It said 5 to 10 percent of its 2020 rides had already been fully driverless, for early riders under nondisclosure agreements.
Source: Waymo is opening its fully driverless service to the general public in Phoenix, Waymo
Additional sources
Update history
- Rewritten in shorter, plainer sentences. No facts were changed.
- Added Waymo opening its Houston service to everyone and Pony.ai and Verne starting driverless test rides with invited passengers in Zagreb.
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