Waymo has started opening its robotaxi service to the public in Las Vegas, following final approval from Nevada transportation regulators. The Alphabet-owned company said access will roll out gradually, with riders invited in stages.
The first phase includes dozens of Ojai minivan robotaxis serving parts of the city, including the Strip south of Highway 589 and the Boulder Junction area. For now, riders need an invitation code, but Waymo typically broadens access soon after launch.
Las Vegas becomes Waymo's 15th market, adding to a growing network that already includes cities such as Austin, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The company has also recently expanded invited rider access in Denver, San Diego, and Tampa.
The move comes as autonomous mobility competition intensifies across the U.S. and Europe, with companies like Tesla, Uber, Zoox, and Motional also building out their own plans. In Nevada, Waymo is authorized to operate up to 1,000 autonomous vehicles over the next year, while the broader county permit framework could support thousands of robotaxis in total.
Even if fleets scale more slowly than planned, Las Vegas is positioning itself as a major testing ground for next-generation urban transport. The city's adoption of autonomous ride services may help shape how mobility, convenience, and smart-city infrastructure evolve in the years ahead.
