Waymo has announced that it is acquired permission from the California Public Utilities Fee (CPUC) to develop its robotaxi service throughout extra counties in California. The corporate says the choice will permit it to supply rides in Sacramento and San Diego for the primary time, and develop service within the San Francisco Bay Space and Los Angeles.
As spotted by Electrek, the CPUC’s approval seems to be in response to a letter Waymo filed in January asking for approval on a security plan so it could provide rides in the expanded service area it introduced in November 2025. Waymo acquired suggestions and even at one level had its request suspended, according to the CPUC’s page, however the firm’s announcement suggests these points have since been resolved and simply have not been publicly recorded but.
Huge information for the Golden State — we have now acquired the CPUC’s approval to develop our autonomous ride-hailing service throughout the SF Bay Space and LA, and convey our service to Sacramento and San Diego.
Growth will likely be gradual and guided by our security framework. We stay up for…
— Waymo (@Waymo) August 14, 2026
Engadget has contacted the CPUC to substantiate the small print of its Waymo resolution. We’ll replace this text if we hear again.
The approval ought to permit Waymo to supply rides in 18 counties throughout northern and southern California: 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 corporate doubtless will not have robotaxis in all of them instantly, although. Waymo’s announcement particularly notes that “growth will likely be gradual and guided by [its] security framework.”
Waymo introduced its intention to expand into San Diego in November 2025 and Sacramento in February 2026. In July, the corporate shared that it could quickly check fully autonomous rides with out a security driver in San Diego, Denver, Tampa and Las Vegas. Primarily based on the unique letter Waymo filed, CPUC’s permission ought to permit the corporate to supply rides in California in its present Jaguar I-Tempo autos and its new Ojai robotaxis, customized minivans constructed by Chinese language automotive maker Zeekr.
