The California DMV has approved vast new zones where Alphabet’s robotaxi service Waymo can legally test and deploy fully driverless vehicles. This expansion is enormous—covering a long list of counties across Northern and Southern California, including major population centers such as Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, the Bay Area, Sacramento, and more.

What This Expansion Means

• The approved areas form two huge, continuous regions covering urban areas, suburbs, exurbs, and rural routes.
• This includes California wine country, the full Bay Area, and large, densely populated zones in Southern California.
• If Waymo activates service in all permitted areas, riders could:
  • Take hours-long commutes through multiple counties.
  • Ride from exurbs to major airports like LAX.
  • Enjoy long scenic trips, such as Pacific Coast Highway from San Diego to Malibu.
  • Even recreate TV-style drives (like The O.C.’s Chino-to-Newport route).

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But the Price? Potentially Huge

• Based on a June analysis showing an average Waymo rate of $11.22 per kilometer:
  • A San Diego → Malibu ride could cost around $2,636 in a Waymo.
  • The same ride in Uber/Lyft would cost roughly $200.
• Longer ride pricing structures could change, but current rates make long-distance trips extremely expensive.

Waymo’s Rollout Plans

• Despite the wide approval, Waymo says it has no immediate plans to launch in most of these zones yet.
• The next city on their roadmap is San Diego, aiming to welcome first public riders in mid-2026.