Waymo, the self-driving technology company owned by Alphabet, is moving ahead with plans to bring its fully autonomous ride-hailing service to New Orleans. The announcement came on Thursday, November 20, 2025, and even though there isn’t a specific date yet for when the public can begin riding, the early steps are already underway. Waymo is rolling out a fleet of all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles across the city so they can start mapping, collecting data, and testing how the Waymo Driver handles the area’s roads. In a way, it feels like New Orleans is becoming part of a growing network of cities reshaping the future of transportation, which is interesting to watch unfold.
Key Takeaways
- Waymo is preparing to launch its fully autonomous ride-hailing service in New Orleans.
- The expansion involves a preliminary phase of on-road testing and mapping with a fleet of electric vehicles.
- New Orleans joins Minneapolis and Tampa as the latest cities announced for Waymo’s service expansion.
- Waymo aims to provide a safe, reliable transportation option for residents and the city’s high number of visitors.
- The Waymo Driver system is statistically safer, showing up to five times fewer crashes with injuries than human drivers.
Stepping back for a moment, New Orleans has its own personality when it comes to driving. The city is known for historic, sometimes narrow streets, and the busy movement of both locals and tourists, especially around places like the French Quarter. Waymo, which started as Google’s self-driving project back in 2009, mentioned that earlier testing here showed the Waymo Driver could navigate the city’s particular challenges. The Waymo Driver itself is a mix of hardware and artificial intelligence software built to operate without a human behind the wheel, which still feels a little futuristic even though the technology has been in development for years.
This expansion is part of a larger push by the company to scale up its driverless service. Waymo already runs public robotaxi operations in Phoenix and parts of the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. With millions of autonomous miles already behind it, the system tends to adapt more easily when entering a new place like New Orleans. The vehicles use cameras, radar, and Lidar, working together through an AI-driven computing platform that helps them observe and interpret the environment. It’s a complicated process, of course, though most riders will probably only notice the smoothness of the ride.
Waymo has also made an effort to align with local city goals. The company expressed support for New Orleans’ Safe Streets for All initiative, emphasizing that safety is one of the reasons it is expanding. According to data Waymo has shared, its vehicles have performed far better in avoiding severe collisions than the average human driver. The company cites 91 percent fewer crashes involving serious injuries or worse compared to human driving in its operating areas. Speaking personally, it’s hard not to imagine how meaningful that could be in a city with heavy pedestrian activity and busy travel corridors.
Community leaders seem optimistic as well. Pamela Allen, Executive Director of the Louisiana Center for the Blind and President of the National Federation of the Blind of Louisiana, said the technology represents real progress for blind and low-vision individuals who want more independence in their daily travel. And since the vehicles are all-electric, including the Jaguar I-PACE models coming to New Orleans, they also fit into the city’s interest in cleaner and more efficient transportation methods. It’s a small but notable step toward a more environmentally friendly system.
For residents and the millions of tourists who flow through the city every year, the service could eventually make getting around simpler, whether it’s commuting to the Central Business District or visiting neighborhoods like Mid-City. Those who want early access can sign up for updates on the Waymo website, which might be worth doing if someone is curious about trying a driverless ride once it becomes available. While this is still an early phase, it suggests Waymo is steadily working toward making autonomous travel a normal part of everyday life in more cities across the United States.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When will Waymo’s driverless taxis be available for public rides in New Orleans?
A: Waymo has not announced a specific date for the public launch. They are currently laying the initial groundwork, which involves on-road testing and data collection. The full service will launch after this preparation phase.
Q: What kind of vehicles will Waymo use in New Orleans?
A: Waymo is using a fleet of all-electric Jaguar I-PACE SUVs for its initial testing phase in New Orleans. The company also uses the purpose-built Zeekr RT in some of its other cities.
Q: Where does Waymo currently offer fully driverless rides to the public?
A: Waymo currently offers fully driverless ride-hailing services to the public in Phoenix, Arizona, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Los Angeles, California. They are also testing in a growing number of other cities ahead of future launches.
Q: How does Waymo’s safety record compare to human drivers?
A: Waymo reports that its autonomous Waymo Driver system is involved in fewer crashes. Specifically, data shows the Waymo Driver is involved in five times fewer crashes with injuries compared to an average human driver over the same distance in its operating cities.
Q: How does the Waymo vehicle navigate without a human driver?
A: The vehicle uses a system called the Waymo Driver. This is a combination of advanced hardware, including Lidar, radar, and cameras, and an artificial intelligence-powered software platform. The system processes real-time data to perceive its surroundings, make driving decisions, and navigate the routes safely.
