Waymo has run commercial robotaxis in San Francisco and Los Angeles for years, expanding zone by zone as regulators approve each step. The California Public Utilities Commission just granted its largest clearance yet: 18 counties statewide, bringing Sacramento and San Diego into the fold for the first time.
The January 2026 application hit some regulatory friction before getting through. Rides will operate on
Jaguar I-Pace vehicles and the new Ojai minivan built by Chinese manufacturer Zeekr, with a gradual rollout tied to Waymo's safety framework.Both new cities had been in the pipeline since late 2025, with fully driverless test rides already underway. The commercial approval, per Engadget, is the next step in that same sequence.