Waymo has received permission from the California Public Utilities Commission to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service across more counties in the state. The decision allows the company to offer rides in Sacramento and San Diego for the first time, while also increasing its footprint in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles.
According to the CPUC, the approval covers 18 counties in northern and southern California. These areas include Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura.
The expansion will be gradual and guided by Waymo’s safety framework, according to the company’s announcement. It likely won’t have robotaxis in all of these locations immediately.
The CPUC’s approval appears to be in response to a letter Waymo filed in January requesting permission to offer rides in the expanded service area it announced in November 2025. The regulatory body’s page notes that Waymo received feedback and had its request suspended at one point, but the company’s announcement suggests these issues have since been resolved.
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Vehicle Types and Test Cities
The permission should allow Waymo to operate in California using its existing Jaguar I-Pace vehicles and its new Ojai robotaxis. The latter are custom minivans built by the Chinese car manufacturer Zeekr.
Waymo announced its intention to expand into San Diego in November 2025 and Sacramento in February 2026. In July, the company shared that it would soon test fully autonomous rides without a safety driver in San Diego, Denver, Tampa, and Las Vegas.
Waymo has not provided a specific timeline for when residents in these new regions can expect to book a ride. The company emphasized that its safety framework remains the primary driver for all expansion efforts.
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