Waymo Comes to the City of San Diego

The robotaxi company will introduce autonomous vehicle services in Southcrest, Normal Heights, La Playa, and Pacific Beach, and plans to expand to other areas.

If you’ve seen a car without a driver on the streets of San Diego cruising by in recent months, then you’ve spotted the first of what will soon be a staple on some of the city’s roads. San Diego is joining the ranks of San Francisco, Atlanta, and Phoenix (among others) as one of the many cities where you can now hail a self-driving taxi. 

Waymo has said that “in the coming weeks” it will be “ramping up” its operations in the city. It plans to make its classic model of vehicle (the white Jaguar I-PACE SUV) available alongside its newer model, the Ojai, which is designed to be roomier and easier to enter than the older Jaguar. Both models, and therefore Waymo’s entire commercial fleet, are electric vehicles.

Waymo has already been mapping San Diego’s streets for some time, and has been testing its robotaxis in the city with drivers inside for over a year. Waymo first launched in Phoenix, Arizona in December of 2018, but has since begun to operate in 11 cities across the United States. Along with San Diego, Waymo plans to expand to 18 other U.S. cities in the near future, and is even hoping to go international in London and Tokyo. San Diego marks a significant milestone for the self-driving car company, which is the largest of its kind in the United States.

Waymo provides approximately 500,000 rides a week throughout all of its areas of operation, and as of March 2026 had over 3,000 robotaxis in service. Over 800 of those operate in the Bay Area, especially within San Francisco. That number has tripled since 2023, when Waymo first started offering its services in the city. Since San Diego boasts nearly 600,000 more residents than SF, it’s entirely possible that within a few years, San Diego’s Waymo squadron could rival or even exceed the size of the present Bay Area fleet.

That Bay Area fleet has been at times controversial within the city, due to a power outage in December of 2025 that caused traffic issues as well as similar problems during recent 4th of July celebrations. However, Waymo also touts that it has 82% fewer injury-causing crashes than an average human driver, as well as 94% fewer crashes with serious injuries.

Waymo’s arrival in San Diego comes at a time when the company is hoping to make the sight of driverless cars commonplace throughout the major cities of America. In a few months, that sight will certainly be a regular one within SD.