Waymo Removes Robotaxi Waitlist, Opens it to Everyone

­Google subsidiary Waymo has taken the first step towards making robotaxis available to the wider public – just two weeks after the California-based company pulled all 672 of its Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis from the road after an accident involving a telephone pole, they’ve eliminated the waiting list.

This is huge news, of course, if a bit on the humble side. Waymo has more than 700 Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis in its total fleet, and since 2009, they’ve had a presence in San Francisco.

300 of their robotaxis operate within the San Francisco city limits, and since 2023, they’ve begun charging customers for round-the-clock service.

Course, 300 vehicles (or even 700) isn’t much for a city the size of San Francisco, so immediately after Waymo received approvals to take paying customers, their waitlist swelled up to 300,000 people.

Waymo has been diligently working to pare down that list, and now that it’s at a few hundred, they’ve closed it completely, meaning that anyone can download its app and hail a robotaxi in San Francisco.

Though again, 300 vehicles for the city limits isn’t that many, but the fact that it’s open to anyone is a huge step forward, and even with its relatively modest fleet, they apparently give tens of thousands of rides each week.

And speaking of opening their service, Waymo previously received approvals, back in March, to expand into Los Angeles, the San Francisco Peninsula, and on San Francisco freeways.

So one way or another, more people are gaining access to self-driving taxis.