Future Transport
Self-Driving Taxis: Where You Can Ride One Today
Quick answer
Yes. In 11 U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Miami and San Francisco, anyone can download the Waymo app and ride a driverless taxi. In Austin and Atlanta, Waymo rides come only through Uber. Zoox carries riders in Las Vegas, and Tesla offers rides in Austin. Waymo's own pages disagree on Denver, so check the app for your address.
On this page
- Where can you ride a self-driving taxi today?
- Which cities can you ride a Waymo in?
- Which Waymo cities are still letting riders in slowly?
- Is the Waymo map still growing?
- Can you ride a Zoox robotaxi?
- What about Tesla's robotaxi?
- Are there other robotaxis you can ride?
- How much does a robotaxi ride cost?
- What should you check before you plan a trip around one?
- FAQ
- Sources
A few years ago a driverless taxi was something you saw in a keynote video. In late October 2026 you can open an app in more than a dozen U.S. cities and a car with nobody in the driver's seat pulls up. The catch is that "available" means different things for different companies, and the lists online disagree. This guide sorts out which service runs where, which app you need and what is still being rolled out.
I took every fact below from Waymo's and Zoox's own pages, which I read on October 30, 2026, plus the California regulator's permit list and named press reports. Where sources conflict or I could not read a page, I say so. The full source list is at the end.
Where can you ride a self-driving taxi today?
Waymo is the one with the widest reach. Its homepage lists 15 places it is "serving riders" and says the service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Zoox carries riders in Las Vegas, and Tesla has offered rides in Austin since January. Everyone else on my list is smaller or still has a person behind the wheel.
Which cities can you ride a Waymo in?
Waymo's FAQ says that in these cities anyone can download the Waymo app and ride right away: Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, metro Phoenix, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco and Tampa. On October 14, Waymo said anyone in San Antonio, San Diego and Tampa can now hail a ride, including to San Antonio International Airport, after it had been welcoming riders there earlier in the year.
Austin and Atlanta work differently. There, Waymo rides are available only on the Uber app. You request a regular Uber ride, such as UberX or Uber Comfort, and accept the Waymo when the app offers it. Waymo says it cannot guarantee a Waymo on Uber every time, so a normal driver can still show up.
| How you get in | Cities |
|---|---|
| Waymo app, open to anyone | Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area, Tampa |
| Uber app only | Austin, Atlanta |
| Letting riders in gradually | Las Vegas (Waymo says it will open to everyone later); Denver (Waymo's own pages disagree, see below) |
| Not open yet | Listed as "up next": Washington DC, Detroit, New York, Chicago, Seattle, London, Tokyo and others |
Waymo's cities as listed on waymo.com and its FAQ, read on Oct. 30, 2026.
Which Waymo cities are still letting riders in slowly?
Las Vegas is the clear case. Waymo's October 21 post says it will "gradually welcome more riders over time before opening to everyone," even as it opened airport pickups at Harry Reid International, at dedicated zones on the ground level of Terminals 1 and 3. If you live there, the app tells you whether your account is in yet.
Denver is where Waymo's pages contradict each other. The FAQ puts Denver in the "anyone can ride" list, while the Help Center service-area page marks Denver "gradually adding riders." Neither page shows a date. I would trust the app over either page: type in your pickup address and it tells you what is available.
Is the Waymo map still growing?
Yes, week by week. On October 27, Waymo said it would add nearly 250 square miles over the following week across five cities: Los Angeles (down the coast to the South Bay, adding Torrance), Nashville (farther south, to the zoo), Orlando (nearly doubling the eastern coverage), San Diego (north to La Jolla) and the San Francisco Bay Area (a new connection at BART's Berryessa Station).
That matters for one practical reason: a robotaxi only picks you up and drops you off inside its service area. A city being on the list does not mean your street is covered. Waymo also says freeway access is limited for now and rolling out gradually, with an interest list inside the app.
Can you ride a Zoox robotaxi?
In Las Vegas, yes. Zoox's site lists Las Vegas with a "Ride now" button and gives the hours as 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. You hail it in the Zoox app, and the vehicle is a purpose-built robotaxi with carriage-style seating and temperature control at each seat, not a converted car. The photo below shows one on the Strip.
It is no longer free. Fox5 Las Vegas reported on August 11 that Zoox had begun charging for rides, with prices aimed at the "comfort" level of ride-hailing apps and some location fees at places like the airport, the Sphere and T-Mobile Arena. Zoox had run free rides under interim authority from the Nevada Transportation Authority since May 2025.
San Francisco is listed on Zoox's site with a "Learn more" button rather than "Ride now," and Austin and Miami show "Now arriving." In California, the state regulator's permit list shows Zoox with pilot permits only, and the regulator says pilot programs may not charge fares. Zoox also announced a partnership to put its robotaxis on Uber.
What about Tesla's robotaxi?
Tesla's own Robotaxi page refused to load for my reader, so everything here comes from press reports, and I am not giving a current city list. InsideEVs and Claims Journal reported that on January 22, 2026 Tesla began rides in Austin without a safety monitor inside the car. Tesla's Ashok Elluswamy described it as "a few unsupervised vehicles mixed in with the broader robotaxi fleet with safety monitors," with the share growing over time.
The same reports said Tesla's Bay Area service uses safety drivers behind the wheel and that Tesla had not applied for a California permit to test without a driver. That is half a year old. If you want to ride one, I would read Tesla's page in your browser, because "robotaxi" at Tesla has meant different setups in different places.
Are there other robotaxis you can ride?
Two more, both with a person on board when they launched. Motional began matching Uber riders in Las Vegas with its Ioniq 5 robotaxis on March 13, 2026, with a vehicle operator behind the wheel, and said fully driverless service was expected by the end of this year. I found no newer statement. May Mobility's homepage says its ride-hail preview is live on Lyft in Atlanta. Its September 2025 launch release said each vehicle would carry a standby operator at first.
| Company | Where | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Waymo | 15 metros | Public and fully autonomous, 24/7; Waymo app, or Uber in Austin and Atlanta |
| Zoox | Las Vegas; San Francisco listed | Las Vegas "Ride now," paid since August; San Francisco "Learn more" |
| Tesla | Austin | Rides without an in-car monitor since Jan. 22, 2026 (press, not Tesla's page) |
| Motional | Las Vegas | On Uber since Mar. 13, 2026, with an operator behind the wheel at launch |
| May Mobility | Atlanta | "Preview" on Lyft; standby operator at launch (Sept. 2025) |
Robotaxi services in the U.S., as described by the companies and press on the dates shown.
How much does a robotaxi ride cost?
I could not find a price list on the Waymo pages I read, and Zoox describes its pricing only as comparable to the comfort tier of ride-hailing apps. The honest answer is that you see the fare in the app before you confirm, so I would not book anything time-critical until you have seen the price for your own route.
What should you check before you plan a trip around one?
- Your pickup and drop-off addresses. Service areas are maps, not whole cities.
- Your account status. Las Vegas, and maybe Denver, let people in gradually.
- The app. Waymo app in most cities, Uber in Austin and Atlanta, Zoox app in Las Vegas.
- The airport. Only a few airports are served so far; Waymo names San Antonio and Las Vegas in its October posts.
The same rule I use for flying machines applies here. A company's "coming soon" is not a launch. The air taxis from Joby and Archer still have no tickets on sale, while the driverless taxi on this page is a car you can book tonight. A clip that shows a driverless car "already working" in your city deserves a second look using the checks in how I spot fake tech videos. If you would rather own a vehicle than hail one, the flying car deposits and prices are in a separate guide, and the Tesla Roadster release date is a good example of why I wait for a delivery before believing a launch.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I ride a Waymo today?
Waymo lists 15 U.S. metros: Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area and Tampa. In Austin and Atlanta you book through the Uber app, and Las Vegas is still welcoming riders gradually.
Do I need an invitation to ride a Waymo?
Not in most cities. Waymo says anyone can download the app and ride in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco and Tampa. Las Vegas is letting riders in gradually, and Waymo's pages disagree about Denver.
Can I ride a Zoox robotaxi?
In Las Vegas, yes, using the Zoox app between 6 a.m. and 1 a.m. Fox5 Las Vegas reported that Zoox began charging fares in August 2026. San Francisco is listed with a "Learn more" button, and Austin and Miami are listed as "Now arriving."
Is Tesla's robotaxi available?
Press reports say Tesla began rides without an in-car safety monitor in Austin on January 22, 2026, and that its Bay Area service has safety drivers. Tesla's own page would not load for me, so check it for the current cities.
Is there a driver in a robotaxi?
Not in Waymo, which calls its service fully autonomous. Motional and May Mobility launched with a person on board, and Tesla's Bay Area service has safety drivers, according to press reports from earlier this year.
Can a robotaxi take me to the airport?
In some places. Waymo's October posts name San Antonio International Airport and Harry Reid International in Las Vegas, and Zoox's Las Vegas page points to airport rules. Most airports are not served yet.
How much does a robotaxi cost?
No price list appears on the pages I read. You see the fare in the app before you book. Zoox says its prices are aimed at the comfort tier of ride-hailing apps, and Fox5 reported extra fees at some venues.
Sources
- Waymo: homepage, cities served and "up next" list (read Oct. 30, 2026)
- Waymo: FAQ, "How do I get a ride?" (read Oct. 30, 2026)
- Waymo Help Center: Service areas (read Oct. 30, 2026)
- Waymo: Waymo on Uber, Austin and Atlanta (read Oct. 30, 2026)
- Waymo Help Center: Freeway routes (read Oct. 30, 2026)
- Waymo: San Antonio, San Diego and Tampa open to everyone (Oct. 14, 2026)
- Waymo: Las Vegas airport rides (Oct. 21, 2026)
- Waymo: nearly 250 more square miles in five cities (Oct. 27, 2026)
- Zoox: Where to ride (read Oct. 30, 2026)
- Zoox: Las Vegas, hours and airport (read Oct. 30, 2026)
- Fox5 Las Vegas: Zoox begins charging for robotaxi rides (Aug. 11, 2026)
- California Public Utilities Commission: Autonomous vehicle passenger service programs (read Oct. 30, 2026)
- California Public Utilities Commission: Autonomous vehicle program permits issued (read Oct. 30, 2026)
- InsideEVs: Tesla started Robotaxi rides with no safety monitors (Jan. 22, 2026)
- Claims Journal: Tesla robotaxi rides without safety monitors begin in Austin (Jan. 23, 2026)
- Motional: Uber and Motional launch robotaxi service in Las Vegas (Mar. 13, 2026)
- May Mobility: Lyft and May Mobility deploy their first autonomous fleet in Atlanta (Sept. 10, 2025)
Founder and editor, Novaverum
I write Novaverum to separate the technology you can really buy from the demos, concepts and viral fakes, starting from what the companies, regulators and engineers publish. Every article lists its sources at the end.
