Waymo begins serving paying customers in Las Vegas

What happens in Vegas now stays in a self-driving minivan. Waymo officially flipped the switch on paid robotaxi rides in Las Vegas on September 14, marking the company’s 15th US metro area and its first commercial operation anywhere in Nevada. The launch kicked off with a waitlist north of 100,000 people, who will be invited to hail rides on a rolling basis. Waymo is starting with dozens of its sixth-generation Ojai minivans covering roughly 24 square miles, a zone that includes stretches of the Las Vegas Strip and surrounding neighborhoods. The fleet and the footprint The initial coverage area is modest by Vegas standards, but the trajectory is not. Nevada regulators have approved Waymo to deploy up to 1,000 vehicles over the next year, and the company plans to eventually add freeway driving and airport access to the service map. The Ojai minivans are all-electric and represent Waymo’s latest hardware generation, designed with more interior space than earlier models. Waymo has also struck deals with local venues to establish dedicated pickup zones. The service builds on a preparatory phase that began in July 2026, when Waymo started running empty vehicles through Las Vegas streets...