Waymo, the self-driving tech development unit of Google's parent company, Alphabet, is launching fully autonomous robotaxis in Austin, Texas, without a safety driver.

Initially, the service will be available to Waymo’s employees to travel within a designated 43-square-mile area that includes Barton Hills, Riverside, East Austin, and Hyde Park neighborhoods, as well as the Downtown sector.

The company plans to open the service to the public later this year.

Analyst QuickTake: Waymo first started testing autonomous vehicles with a safety driver in Austin in March 2023 and launched commercial driver-ed robotaxi services in August 2023. This development follows closely on Waymo's authorization to charge for rides in the expanded areas of Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, marking Austin as the potential fourth city for its commercial driverless robotaxi service, after Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.