Waymo drops its Los Angeles waitlist and lets anyone ride

LOS ANGELES, November 2024 — Anyone in Los Angeles can now hail a Waymo robotaxi, with no waitlist. Here's what launched, what it cost, and what went wrong.

Cost and outcome (as of Nov. 12, 2024)

Waitlist dropped: "nearly 300,000 people" had signed up since LA operations began earlier in 2024, Waymo said. (Waymo)
Service area: about 80 square miles of LA County, 24/7. (TechCrunch)
LA fleet: "about 100 robotaxis," per the Los Angeles Times. (LA Times)
Freeways: not included; surface streets only. (LA Times)
Fares and LA revenue: not disclosed.

What launched

Starting Nov. 12, anyone could download the Waymo One app and ride within the service area, TechCrunch reported. Waymo's post names Santa Monica, Hollywood Boulevard and the University of Southern California among the places riders can reach.

Waymo had a presence in Los Angeles since 2019, mapping neighborhoods including downtown, Miracle Mile, Koreatown and West Hollywood, according to TechCrunch. California's Public Utilities Commission approved a commercial service in LA in March 2024. Waymo dropped its San Francisco waitlist in June 2024.

Waymo estimated its company-wide fleet at "more than 700 vehicles" completing over 150,000 rides weekly, the Los Angeles Times reported, in Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. About 100 of those cars serve LA, and Waymo said that number would rise gradually.

What Waymo says about riders

Waymo's post says LA riders had taken "hundreds of thousands of paid trips," rated an average 4.7 out of 5 stars. It also says it intends to grow the service area to cover more of the city. It cites a rider survey in which 98% said they were satisfied and 96% found the service useful. Waymo did not publish the survey's size or method in the post.

Waymo also named a community partner, She is Hope, a nonprofit for single mothers in Los Angeles. Its founder, Tisha Janigan, said in the post that Waymo access "could be a game-changer for women we serve." Waymo was also the official ride-hail partner of the Los Angeles Auto Show, Nov. 22 to Dec. 1.

"Now is an exciting time to welcome everyone in Los Angeles along for the ride," co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said. "Our service has matured quickly and our riders are embracing the many benefits of fully autonomous driving."

The freeway gap

The Times noted that riders "don't expect the driverless vehicle to head onto a freeway." In a city where much cross-town travel uses freeways, that could make trips longer and more costly, the paper said. "We know freeways are critical to efficient routing across large service areas," Bonelli said, adding that freeway driving was being tested in Phoenix and San Francisco.

The Times cited a state DMV report of a moderate crash on May 13, 2024, when a car changing lanes hit a Waymo on the eastbound 10 Freeway during a test. "Our vehicle appears to have been driving correctly in its lane when it was hit," Bonelli said. DMV records showed 12 Waymo crashes logged since March, all minor except that one, according to the Times.

What went wrong

Local skepticism. Los Angeles officials have sought more safety oversight, and unions have raised job-loss concerns, the Times reported. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a 2024 bill that would have required more crash reporting from driverless-car companies.
No freeways. Surface-street routing limits how far and how fast riders can go.
Waymo's own numbers. The trip count, ratings and survey results come only from Waymo.
What we don't know yet: what a typical LA fare costs against a human-driven ride, and how fast the 100-car fleet grows.

Our follow-up question for Waymo

How many vehicles will serve Los Angeles by mid-2025, and when will riders get freeway routes?

Later developments (added Oct. 2026)

In June 2025, Waymo pulled its cars from downtown LA after at least five were destroyed during protests, the company told the Los Angeles Times (LA Times). That is covered in Part 2.
In November 2025, the Los Angeles Times reported that Waymo would begin offering freeway rides within its roughly 120-square-mile LA service area. (LA Times)

Sources

Waymo, “Waymo One is now open to all in Los Angeles,” Nov. 12, 2024. waymo.com
Los Angeles Times, Rachel Uranga, “Robotaxis open for business in Los Angeles,” Nov. 12, 2024. latimes.com
TechCrunch, Kirsten Korosec, “Now anyone in LA can hail a Waymo robotaxi,” Nov. 12, 2024. techcrunch.com
Los Angeles Times, Caroline Petrow-Cohen, “Waymo taxis are coming to Los Angeles and Bay Area freeways,” Nov. 12, 2025. latimes.com
Los Angeles Times, Caroline Petrow-Cohen, “Waymo halts service in downtown Los Angeles amid ICE protests,” June 9, 2025. latimes.com

Disclosure: [not in copy] Editor placeholder