Waymo continues robotaxi ramp up with Miami service now open to public

Core Insights - Waymo has launched its robotaxi service for the public in Miami, initially available to nearly 10,000 residents on its waitlist within a 60-square-mile area [1][2] - The company plans to expand its service to Miami International Airport soon, although no specific timeline has been provided [2] - Waymo's phased approach to launching services is becoming more common, having previously opened its robotaxis to the public in Phoenix in 2020 and expanding to other cities [4] Expansion Plans - Waymo aims to bring its robotaxi service to nearly a dozen more cities within the next year, including Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Nashville, London, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. [6] - The company has started testing in some of these cities using a mix of all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles and newer Zeekr RT vans [6] - By the end of 2026, Waymo expects to offer 1 million trips per week [6] Operational Challenges - The expansion has faced challenges, including incidents in cities like San Francisco where Waymo vehicles have created traffic jams [6] - Federal safety regulators, specifically the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, have opened an investigation into Waymo's operations around stopped school buses [7] - Complaints have been raised in Austin regarding Waymo vehicles passing school buses with activated stop signs, leading to a voluntary software recall to address the issue [8]