Las Vegas to Get Waymo Robotaxis

• Visitors to Las Vegas will soon have Waymo ways of getting around the Strip and surrounding areas
• Waymo, which has already tested in Vegas, says its self-driving taxis will be returning to Sin City next summer

Waymo announced plans to debut in Las Vegas next summer. The self-driving car company currently serves LA, San Francisco, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Austin.

“Vegas is known for its fun and games, but one thing you shouldn’t gamble on is road safety,” the company, which has completed more than 10 million trips, said Monday. “That’s why Waymo is returning to Las Vegas to bring the safety, reliability, and magic of our autonomous ride-hailing service to residents and visitors alike beginning next summer.”

Despite their superior safety record compared to human drivers, like any other vehicle on a roadway used by people, robotaxis do crash. They also create other interesting situations.

Spending Waymo Time

Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet Inc., has previously conducted test runs in Las Vegas for short periods of time, but it promises, this time, it will be back for good.

Service will cover the Strip, the announcement said, “and we’re working to eventually serve the airport.”

Officials with Clark County, the City of Las Vegas (downtown), and the state DMV must first approve Waymo for commercial operations, but that’s just a formality.

Waymo’s announcement included the following endorsement from city mayor Shelley Berkley: “The introduction of Waymo and its autonomous driving technology is not a science experiment, but rather a proven, safe, new alternative designed to help our residents and the millions of visitors who come to our city get around — from the Strip and beyond.”

Waymo’s self-driving fleet will be a mix of all-electric Jaguar I-PACE with the 5th-gen Waymo Driver, and its new Zeekr RT vehicles with the 6th-gen Waymo Driver.

Waymo’s largest competitor, Amazon’s Zoox, unleashed its robotaxis on the Las Vegas Strip in September.

Also on Monday, Waymo announced it was expanding into San Diego and Detroit.