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Passengers ride in an electric Jaguar I-Pace car outfitted with Waymo full self-driving technology in Santa Monica Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

TEXAS – Waymo has announced five new cities for their autonomous driving service, three of which are in Texas. 

The service joins Austin in the company’s operation, where the AI-powered cars have faced safety complaints from citizens. 

Waymo expands in Texas

What’s new:

Waymo is spreading to Dallas, Houston and San Antonio over the coming weeks, they announced Tuesday. 

Operations began in Miami on Tuesday, and Orlando, the fifth city in the latest expansion, will see AI drivers in coming weeks as well.

Waymo uses radar, sensors and other wireless technology to maneuver the cars through city streets.

Waymo faces safety complaints

 A Waymo autonomous self-driving Jaguar taxi drives along a street on March 14, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Dig deeper:

Waymo already operates in Austin, where they’ve been slammed with dozens of complaints about driverless vehicles stalling, speeding, and crashing.

As of May, the majority of complaints were from the Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department, and residents. 

First responders have reported cases of Waymo cars being involved in a crash, passing security checkpoints and blocking police escorts.

Some riders argue the driverless vehicles are beneficial and keep drunk drivers off the roadways.

Other Texas AI drivers

EV giant Tesla has been rolling out their own AI-powered driver service this year as well. Robotaxis launched in Austin in June, with a flat rate of $4.20 per ride.

While the initial rollout uses Model Ys, the company has a CyberCab sedan with no steering wheel or pedals in the pipeline.

Tesla said in its first-quarter shareholder deck that volume production of the Cybercab is expected to begin in 2026. 

Musk unveiled the CyberCab and a planned Robovan designed to carry more passengers during an event in October. At the time, he said the CyberCab had a price tag of more than $30,000, FOX Business previously reported. 

The billionaire Tesla CEO has indicated in past earnings calls that Tesla owners will be able to allow their vehicles to be part of the robotaxi fleet when they don’t need them. 

RELATED: 

Musk has his sights set on introducing Tesla’s robotaxi service to Los Angeles and San Francisco after Austin, CNBC reported. 

In April, he predicted the robotaxi service will “move the financial needle in a significant way” for the company, “probably around the middle of next year, second half of next year.” 

Senate Bill 2205, passed in 2017, prohibits cities in Texas from regulating autonomous vehicles, putting regulation and oversight in the hands of the state government.

The Source: Information in this report comes from Waymo.

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