Waymo Robotaxis To Go Fully Autonomous in Dallas in ‘Coming Weeks’ » Dallas Innovates

Rendering of the 6th-generation Waymo Driver on Hyundai’s all-electric IONIQ 5 SUV [Photo: Waymo]

In July, Dallas Innovates detailed Waymo’s plans to launch a robotaxi service in Dallas in 2026, noting that testing had already begun on Dallas streets with safety drivers behind the wheel. Well, soon you may see a Waymo glide by with no one in the driver’s seat at all.

Waymo is a subsidiary of Mountain View, California-based Alphabet, the parent company of Google. Today Waymo announced that “fully autonomous driving” will soon be introduced in five new cities: Dallas, Miami, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando. 

Fully driverless operations start today in Miami and will roll out in Dallas and the other three cities “over the coming weeks, ahead of opening our doors to riders next year,” the company said.

Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai discussed Waymo’s planned Dallas launch on Friday at a media event in Midlothian, where Google announced plans to invest $40 billion in Texas by 2027 to add three new data center campuses and make the Lone Star State a centerpiece of its global AI data center footprint.

More on Waymo’s Dallas rollout

When Waymo begins fully driverless operations in Dallas in the coming weeks, only Waymo employees will be taking rides in the robotaxis for the time being, as the company gears up for its Dallas public launch in 2026.

Waymo is already operating fully driverless robotaxi services for public riders in Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The company said it currently serves “over 250,000 paid trips and drives millions of miles every week” across those five service cities.

After the public launch next year, Waymo will offer its ride-hailing service to Dallasites through its Waymo app.  In July, Waymo announced a new partnership with Avis Budget Group to manage its robotaxi fleet. Avis will provide end-to-end fleet management services, including infrastructure, vehicle readiness, maintenance, and general depot operations, Waymo said.

Uber/Avride and Lyft to launch robotaxis in Dallas, too

In October 2024, Uber and Avride announced an autonomous delivery and mobility partnership that was to bring robot deliveries to Dallas later in 2024, followed by a robotaxi service in 2025. [Photo: Business Wire]

The update on Waymo’s planned Dallas launch comes on the heels of two other recent robotaxi announcements for the city.

In October 2024, San Francisco-based Uber and Austin-based Avride announced a multiyear partnership that was to bring Avride’s delivery robots and robotaxis to Uber and Uber Eats. The Uber robotaxi service is slated to launch for riders in Dallas later in 2025, the company has previously said.

[Photo: Lyft]

Lyft said last February that it will roll out its own Dallas robotaxi service “as soon as 2026.” Lyft CEO David Risher said the robotaxi service will be a collaboration with two other companies—Japan-based Marubeni, a leading auto and fleet financing company which will provide the cars, and Israel-based Mobileye, whose autonomous driving tech will power the driverless operations on Dallas roadways.

Don’t miss what’s next. Subscribe to Dallas Innovates.

Track Dallas-Fort Worth’s business and innovation landscape with our curated news in your inbox Tuesday-Thursday.

R E A D   N E X T

North Texas has plenty to see, hear, and watch. Here are our editors’ picks. Plus, you’ll find more selections to “save the date.”

Creatives Care Dallas brings virtual care, behavioral health, 2,000+ medications with zero copay, and more to Dallas County’s gig workers. The community initiative is powered by Arete Health Shield in partnership with the Dallas Music Office.

D CEO and Dallas Innovates have expanded The Innovation Awards 2026 with more individual and company categories this year. Now is your chance to be part of the region’s defining recognition for innovators.

A familiar figure in Dallas arts, civic innovation, and public service, Cuellar will succeed longtime CEO Tony Fleo following a months-long search as Social Venture Partners Dallas plans its next 25 years.

Data scientist Anmolika Singh put Dallas on the global AI Tinkerers map. At the first meetup, more than 30 pros—founders to Fortune 500 technologists—showed up to trade ideas, projects, and solutions.