California regulators let Waymo expand driverless service to 18 counties

Previously

In Parts 1 to 5, Waymo went from a claims study and 4 million rides a year to freeway trips and employee-only service in San Diego, Las Vegas, Tampa and Denver. San Diego still needed California's approval for fared rides.

August 2026 — California's utilities regulator has cleared Waymo to charge fares across a far larger slice of the state. Here's what changed since Part 5 (July 2026), what it cost, and what went wrong.

Cost and outcome (as of Aug. 14, 2026)

Approval: Advice Letters 0004 (filed Jan. 28, 2026) and 0004-A (May 15, 2026), covering an updated Passenger Safety Plan, an expanded area and the Ojai vehicle. (CPUC)
Effect: "Waymo may begin fared driverless passenger service operations in the specified areas and with the Ojai vehicle platform, effective today." (CPUC)
Reach: 18 counties, more than tripling the service area around Los Angeles and San Francisco. (Los Angeles Times)
Filings: 29 supportive responses and two protests on the first letter; eight responses and no protests on the second. (CPUC)
Expansion costs and fares: not disclosed.

What was approved

The California DMV, which decides whether autonomous vehicles can use public roads, approved the wider area and the Ojai on Nov. 21, 2025, the CPUC letter says. The CPUC's job was narrower: checking that Waymo's updated Passenger Safety Plan met its 2020 Deployment Decision. Staff found that it did.

The Los Angeles Times reported the area will eventually stretch from Santa Clarita and Thousand Oaks to San Diego, and from Sacramento to San Jose, including communities in Marin, Napa, Orange and Riverside counties. The Ojai is larger and cheaper to produce than the Jaguar I-Pace, the paper said.

San Diego's objections

San Diego's Metropolitan Transit System, through CEO Sharon Cooney, protested. It warned Waymos could block streets or trolley tracks, citing the December 2025 San Francisco power outage, that they would harm the taxi trade, and that cities should have a say. Its Taxicab Advisory Committee asked the CPUC to deny the request.

Waymo replied on Feb. 24 that the protesters had not contested the completeness of its application or its safety plan, and that the CPUC had already declined to give cities veto power over robotaxi service. Staff ruled the protests did not state proper grounds. Local control and taxi competition are policy issues for Rulemaking R.25-08-013, the letter says.

How Waymo got here

This is Waymo's fourth advice letter of this kind. The letter recounts the earlier steps: Waymo-0001, covering San Francisco and parts of San Mateo County, filed Dec. 12, 2022 and approved Aug. 10, 2023; Waymo-0002, covering Los Angeles and more of the Peninsula, approved March 1, 2024 and affirmed by the full Commission in Resolution TL-19150 on June 20, 2024; and Waymo-0003, covering more of the Peninsula including San José, approved May 19, 2025.

What changed for riders

CPED asked Waymo on May 1 how it keeps unaccompanied minors out of its cars and protects riders during major disruptions. Waymo described account age checks (holders must be 18 or older), in-vehicle detection and incident teams. The updated plan also lets riders change pickup and drop-off points in real time, honk the horn to find their car, flag an urgent need on the screen, and get a replacement ride if a trip is interrupted.

What Waymo said

"While Waymo is receiving its permits today, expansion will be gradual and guided by its safety framework," Karp said, the Times reported. "Waymo's immediate focus is preparing to launch rider-only service in San Diego later this summer and continuing to validate its technology in Sacramento."

What went wrong

Local opposition. San Diego's transit agency objected on the record; staff ruled its objections outside the scope of the review.
Past incidents. The Times noted a Waymo struck and killed a well-known neighborhood cat in San Francisco in 2025.
What we don't know yet: how many Ojai vehicles exist, where their Waymo hardware is fitted, and when each county gets service.

Our follow-up question for Waymo

Which of the 18 counties will get fared service first, and how many Ojai vehicles will run there?

Later developments (added Oct. 2026)

On Sept. 1, 2026, Axios reported on Waymo's plans for the Zeekr-built Ojai amid the U.S. Commerce Department's crackdown on Chinese connected-vehicle technology. (Axios)
On Oct. 14, 2026, Waymo opened service to anyone in San Diego, Tampa and San Antonio. (Waymo)

Sources

California Public Utilities Commission, Joshua Huneycutt, “Disposition of Waymo Advice Letter 0004 and 0004-A,” Aug. 14, 2026. cpuc.ca.gov
Los Angeles Times, Caroline Petrow-Cohen, “Waymo wins approval for drastic expansion in L.A., Bay Area regions,” Aug. 14, 2026. latimes.com
The Colorado Sun, Tamara Chuang, “Waymo launching robotaxi service in Denver. But only for its own workers.,” July 8, 2026. coloradosun.com
Waymo, The Waymo Team, “From the road — October 14, 2026,” Oct. 14, 2026. waymo.com
Geely Automobile Holdings, “Overseas Regulatory Announcement: Termination of U.S. Reporting Obligations with the SEC,” HKEX, Dec. 22, 2025. www1.hkexnews.hk
TechCrunch, Kirsten Korosec, “Waymo is rebranding its Zeekr robotaxi,” Jan. 7, 2026. techcrunch.com
Axios, Joann Muller, “Waymo's cheaper robotaxis collide with China crackdown,” Sept. 1, 2026. axios.com

Disclosure: [not in copy] Editor placeholder