Waymo Expands Autonomous Ride-Hailing to Miami

(Reuters) – Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL)'s Waymo announced on Thursday the expansion of its autonomous ride-hailing services to Miami, Florida. This move adds another city to its operations as Waymo aims to gain an edge in an increasingly competitive market.

The company plans to introduce its vehicles to the streets of Miami early next year, with plans to launch services for riders by 2026. Riders will be able to use the Waymo One app for ride-hailing services.

This expansion comes at a crucial time as Waymo is facing intense scrutiny from safety regulators due to multiple incidents involving autonomous driving technology.

Competition in the autonomous vehicle market is fierce, particularly from General Motors (NYSE:GM)’s Cruise, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN)’s Zoox, and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), posing significant challenges to Waymo’s efforts to establish and maintain market dominance in the fast-evolving self-driving technology sector.

Miami will join existing cities where Waymo operates, including Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Austin.

Additionally, Waymo announced a partnership with vehicle financing firm Moove, which will manage Waymo's fleet operations, facilities, and charging infrastructure, starting in Phoenix, Arizona.

Last month, the company opened its ride-hailing services to all users in Los Angeles, and in October, it successfully closed a $5.6 billion funding round led by Alphabet.