Waymo, the self-driving tech development unit of Google’s parent company Alphabet, has doubled its geographical coverage in  Phoenix, Arizona, to cover 180+ square miles. This reportedly makes it the largest contiguous paid robotaxi service area in the world.

The expanded area now covers Tempe, Mesa, and Scottsdale in addition to its current Chandler (50 square miles) and downtown Phoenix (40 square miles) locations. Waymo has also added a second pickup/dropoff location at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport in addition to the first introduced in November 2022.

Currently, the rides are limited to freeways and are only available for Waymo’s employees, with plans to introduce them to the public in the future.

Reportedly, the company is also looking to expand its service area in San Francisco, California. The company is still waiting for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to issue the final permit that will allow the company to start commercial operations.

Analyst QuickTake: When considering Waymo’s operations in Arizona, the company has been testing its fully autonomous technology on public roads in the state since 2017. In 2018, the company commercially launched a robotaxi service (with a safety driver) in Phoenix and continued to introduce driverless public ride-hail services in late 2020. Today’s expansion strengthens Waymo’s presence in Arizona especially given the rivalry with General Motors' autonomous vehicle unit Cruise, which also expanded its presence to Phoenix, Arizona recently.