Waymo has started opening its robotaxi service to the public in Las Vegas, only a few weeks after receiving final approval from Nevada transportation regulators to operate in the city.
The Alphabet-owned company said Monday that it will begin inviting public riders on a rolling basis, following the same robotaxi launch strategy it has used in 14 other cities.
Waymo is initially deploying “dozens” of its new Ojai minivan robotaxis. According to a company spokesperson, the vehicles will operate across a Las Vegas service area that includes the Strip south of Highway 589 and extends into Boulder Junction. The company plans to expand both its fleet and coverage area over time.
For now, people who want to ride will need to request an invitation and wait to see whether they receive an access code. Waymo typically makes its robotaxi service available to everyone within one or two months after an official launch.
The Las Vegas rollout comes during an especially active period for Waymo as the company works to expand its operations across the United States and Europe while competitors such as Tesla and Zoox attempt to narrow its lead in autonomous ride-hailing. Earlier this month, Waymo began providing robotaxi rides to invited members of the public in Denver, San Diego, and Tampa.
Las Vegas represents Waymo’s 15th market. Competitors Tesla and Motional are also preparing to launch commercial robotaxi services in the city, while Zoox is already operating a commercial robotaxi service there. Waymo currently operates in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The company previously launched service in San Antonio before later pausing operations there.
Waymo’s arrival in Las Vegas follows a decision by the Nevada Transportation Authority authorizing commercial robotaxi services in Clark County, where Las Vegas is located. Tesla and Uber were also approved by the agency to operate autonomous ride-hailing services in the county.
Under the approvals, Waymo can operate as many as 1,000 autonomous vehicles during the next year, while Tesla has been authorized to deploy up to 5,000. Uber can operate up to 1,000 robotaxis through partnerships with Hyundai subsidiary Motional and Zoox. Combined, the permits theoretically allow as many as 7,000 robotaxis to be deployed across Clark County over the next 12 months.
However, it is unlikely that all three companies will reach their maximum permitted numbers.
Waymo currently has a fleet of more than 4,000 robotaxis operating across more than a dozen cities. Meanwhile, Tesla’s Cybercab chief engineer Eric Early told state regulators during an August meeting that the company would be “extremely happy and satisfied” if it managed to reach around 2,500 vehicles, or potentially somewhat more, over the following year.
Even if the companies fall short of the maximum numbers authorized by regulators, Las Vegas could still find itself saturated with robotaxis over the next year as autonomous ride-hailing services from multiple operators continue to expand.
