By Jim Carchidi
February 24, 2026
After months of testing on Orlando-area roadways, Waymo has officially begun service in Central Florida. In a Feb. 24 press release, the autonomous ride service company announced the addition of Orlando, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio to its list of markets.
Invitation only
According to the release, a select number of riders who have downloaded the Waymo app in each city will be invited to begin the service. Additional invitations will be sent as operations scale up.
Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet Inc., also operates in Atlanta, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Service began in Austin last year, and in Miami in January of this year. The recent additions bring its total number of cities to 10.
Moving forward
A map shows the current Waymo service area in Orlando. Image courtesy of Waymo
Waymo uses fully-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles designed to operate autonomously, employing a combination of cameras, radar, sensors and AI to navigate and predict movement without a human driver. A map included in the press release shows the service will cover select areas surrounding the I4 corridor, from downtown Orlando to just south of the SeaWorld area.
The release also includes a quote from Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer:
“We’ve been working with Waymo for several months to make today’s announcement possible. The launch of their commercial service in Orlando is another example of our city’s forward thinking and commitment to innovation. Starting today, our residents will have another option to safely move about the area, and our visitors will be welcomed with the world class mobility they deserve. Welcome to Orlando, Waymo!”
Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana states the company is on track to serve over one million rides per week by the end of the year, and the company is planning to expand service to an additional 10 cities.
Will you use Waymo?
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About the Author
Jim Carchidi is an Orlando journalist and photographer with previous work at the Orlando Sentinel and Orlando Business Journal. He covers development, arts, culture, and local stories for The Orlando Real.
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