Autonomous vehicle company Waymo will begin testing driverless cars in San Antonio in the coming weeks. But residents won’t be able to order rides in those cars until sometime in 2026.
“We’ll begin by offering employees fully autonomous trips before opening our service to the public next year,” said Chris Bonelli, Waymo’s product communications manager, in an email. “Testing will begin in the downtown and surrounding areas, including San Antonio International Airport.”
Waymo vehicles have been observed operating with drivers in San Antonio.
Waymo already serves public riders in Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix. The company has scheduled future services in a dozen new cities, including Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
Bonelli said Waymo’s automated driver is less likely to cause serious injury collisions than human drivers.
A 2024 study published by the National Institute of Health indicated that humans were more likely to be in car crashes than automated driving systems, like those used by Waymo.
The study looked at Waymo’s operations in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles before October 2023 and said the automated driving system had a “promising positive safety impact.”
The self-driving car company did come under fire in October when one of its vehicles killed a liquor store cat in San Francisco’s Mission District.
Autonomous vehicles are not commercially available, but they are allowed to conduct testing and pilot programs while being monitored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Trish DeBerry, president and CEO of downtown nonprofit Centro San Antonio, said Waymo could enhance San Antonio’s downtown experience.
“We have led the charge for micro-mobility in the urban core and knew autonomous was on the horizon, so we look forward to helping to educate the public on the benefits, as well as ensuring residents are comfortable with accessing this new way to navigate downtown and the greater San Antonio area,” DeBerry said in a statement.
Bonelli said residents should treat Waymo’s vehicles like any other driver on the road.
People can submit feedback to Waymo on the company’s website.