Waymo’s November 2025 announcements named Detroit, Las Vegas, and San Diego. I initially wrote as if naming a city meant the hard work was done. It meant Waymo had chosen the next tests.

San Diego’s announcement described permit work, first-responder training, and a planned 2026 launch. Las Vegas had a similar target. Detroit was the harder weather bet: Waymo said it would first familiarize its vehicles with the city and continue winter testing.

Which cities became a ride?

Waymo began inviting public riders in San Diego on September 1, 2026. It began limited public rides in Las Vegas on September 14. Neither announcement meant every resident could summon a car across an entire metro area; both described gradual access.

I found no equivalent Waymo announcement opening Detroit to public rides by September 24, 2026. That is not proof Detroit cannot work. It is a reason to keep “planned,” “testing,” and “available to the public” in separate columns. Snow capability deserves evidence from a winter service, not an expansion slide.

The scale target remains a target

Waymo said in its 2025 review that it was on a path toward one million weekly rides by the end of 2026. In September 2026, it reported more than half a million weekly trips across 15 U.S. cities. That is large commercial volume, but the year-end target has not yet been met.

My original fleet math invented a vehicle count and monthly ramp without a reliable public denominator. It also treated every reported safety incident as comparable across operators. I have removed those claims. A better measure of expansion is paid rides per available vehicle, alongside interventions and hours out of service. Waymo publishes ride totals, but not enough operating data to calculate that full picture.

I am still pro-Waymo because the service exists in multiple cities. The work is visible in the staggered rollouts: permits, local testing, depots, first responders, then an app that can actually book a ride. The current robotaxi map keeps those product states separate. Detroit will earn its place in the public-service column when riders can use it.