Waymo begins driverless rides to and from Las Vegas airport
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Waymo, Alphabet's driverless ride-hailing company, now offers fully autonomous rides to and from Las Vegas's Harry Reid airport.
The airport launch caps a week of expansion news as Waymo scales its fleet.
Background
Waymo is Alphabet-owned and runs driverless ride-hailing, currently operating in 15 U.S. cities including Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami and the San Francisco Bay Area. It averages upwards of a half-million paid rides a week and has set a target of 1 million paid rides per week by the end of this year. The airport service builds on Waymo's existing Las Vegas ties, including partnerships with the Las Vegas Raiders and Allegiant Stadium and The Venetian Resort, and comes as the company moves from Jaguar I-Pace cars to its next-generation Ojai robotaxi built on a Zeekr-supplied EV.
How it unfolded
- Sep 14, 2026Waymo launched its fully autonomous robotaxi service in Las Vegas.
- Oct 19, 2026The New York Post, citing MoffettNathanson data, reported Waymo is on pace to import roughly 5,100 Ojai vehicles by the end of this year. Semafor reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that Waymo plans to grow its fleet from roughly 4,000 vehicles to 20,000 by the end of 2027 and to 8,000 by the end of 2026.
- Oct 20, 2026Waymo said it is headed to Madrid, where it hopes to begin offering rides in 2027.
- Oct 21, 2026Waymo began offering fully autonomous rides to and from Harry Reid International Airport, initially for current Waymo riders, with pickups and drop-offs at dedicated autonomous vehicle zones on Ground Zero Level at Terminals 1 and 3.
- Oct 22, 2026Waymo was reported to be bringing robotaxis to Toronto, Canada in 2028.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Clark County Director of Aviation James C. Chrisley said welcoming Waymo is another step toward giving passengers more choices in how they get to and from the airport.
- Official
- Waymo's Arica Gately said fully autonomous rides at Harry Reid International Airport offer a seamless, stress-free way for travelers to catch a flight or hit the town.
- Caution
- Critics say Waymo's tie-up with Chinese automaker Zeekr remains a glaring economic and national security risk, while Waymo says it complies with federal rules by sourcing physical vehicles from Zeekr and adding its own sensors and software in Arizona.
Still unverified
Semafor reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that Waymo plans to grow its fleet to 20,000 vehicles by the end of 2027 and 8,000 by the end of 2026.