Alphabet's Waymo Aims for 2026 Self-Driving Ride-Hailing Launch in Washington, D.C

Alphabet's self-driving unit Waymo said on Tuesday it aims to launch its fully autonomous ride-hailing service in the U.S. capital city next year.

Waymo began moving vehicles to Washington, D.C., in January and will bring more to the city in the coming weeks as it works to start paid commercial services as soon as next year.

"We will also work closely with policymakers to formalize the legal framework needed to operate without a human behind the wheel, as Washington, D.C. does not currently allow for fully autonomous operations," Waymo said on Tuesday.

Waymo One, the company's fully autonomous ride-hailing service, is providing more than 200,000 paid passenger trips each week in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin after more than 4 million paid trips in 2024. It plans to add Atlanta and Miami and then Washington, D.C.

The U.S. capital is home to federal regulators and lawmakers. Automakers and tech companies want the government to do more to speed vehicle deployments.

Waymo said in October that it had closed a $5.6 billion funding round led by Google-parent Alphabet, as it looks to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service despite some concerns from regulators about safety issues.