ElevnEV
CompanyBoardWaymoTeslaZooxAvride

Seattle · ride · not a hail · 2026-09-09

Waymo is not a hail in Seattle

Waymo has tested in Seattle since September 2025 with safety drivers aboard and no published timetable for public rides.

A test car with a driver is further from service than an employee-only driverless fleet, so expect the other testing metros to open first.

Not here

How Waymo works where it hails · The Seattle picture

The ride, in order

  1. Set your pickup and destination.The app moves your pin to a spot the car can legally stop at, which may be around the corner from where you stand.
  2. The car arrives LOCKED.Unlock it from the app, or set doors to unlock automatically. From the lock screen you can also honk the horn to find it, which is the fastest way in a crowd or with low vision.
  3. Luggage goes in the trunk: open it from the app or the physical button on the car.
  4. Get in, buckle up, then tap Start ride on the in-car screen or in the app.It will not move until you do.
  5. Need out early?Tap Pull over in the app or on the screen and it finds a safe spot.
  6. Stuck?Support on the in-car screen, the Help tab in the app, or 1-844-261-3753.
App StoreGoogle Playwaymo.com
How long it waitsThe app tells you how long the car will hold.Miss that window and the ride cancels, the car leaves, and you may be charged a no-show fee.
Worth knowingIt drives defensively, so expect firmer braking than a human would use.That is the system working, not a fault.

Also on the road, not hailable. Waymo has tested in Seattle since September 2025 with safety drivers aboard and no published timetable for public rides. A test car with a driver is further from service than an employee-only driverless fleet, so expect the other testing metros to open first.

What a ride costs

Checked 2026-09-09

~$1.40-2.50/mi

Typical ride ~$20

Magnitude from mid-2026 reporting. Shape, not a quote. It changes without notice. The app quotes before you confirm.

The rules that decide whether you can ride at all

Kids and car seatsUnder 8 needs a car or booster seat, secured in the back, and Waymo does not supply one.The front seat is 8 and up. A minor cannot ride alone at all unless they have a teen account, which is Waymo's, ages 14 to 17, and has been Phoenix only. Confirm it in the app for your city before you plan around it, because that is the kind of limit that widens without an announcement.
How many of youFour passengers maximum in a Waymo, and the same in a Zoox pod.Tesla Cybercab is two seats. A fifth person means two rides. Confirm the vehicle in the Tesla Robotaxi app.
AnimalsService animals ride.Pets do not.
BagsTrunk access at every stop including the airport ones.Open it from the app or the button on the car, and load it yourself.
Left something behindReport it through the app form or on 1-844-261-3753, then collect from the depot, which is open around the clock.Items are held 10 days, and food, bottles, umbrellas and smoking gear are not kept at all. Waymo is explicit that it is not responsible for what you leave and does not reimburse.

Airport in Seattle

SEA · Seattle-TacomaNo robotaxi service in the metro means no robotaxi airport.SEA is the Link, a rideshare, or the rental counter.

Published curbs in other cities do not apply here.

Other Waymo airport curbs (other cities)
PHX · Phoenix Sky HarborTerminals 3 and 4, Level 1 outer curb, South Door 8.Or the Sky Train stations at 24th and 44th Street, with trains every 3-5 minutes.
SAT · San AntonioPickups are from the Arrivals outer curb at Rideshare Zone 2, not the terminal door.Drop-offs are curbside at Departures for both Terminal A and B. Walking to Departures expecting a pickup is the common mistake here.
SFO · San FranciscoNOT the terminal curb.You take the AirTrain to the Rental Car Center (about 15 minutes) or the Grand Hyatt (about 10). Access is still limited to some riders.
SJC · San José MinetaTerminal A pickups at Stop 9, Terminal B pickups outside the Rental Car Center.Drop-offs are curbside at Departures.

Details from Waymo's own pages and dated reporting, checked 2026-09-09. The app is ground truth. Past the geofence the trip coach picks up · plan the rental half of the trip.

When Waymo does hail, get their app

Not here today. The hail itself is still in Waymo where they serve riders.

App StoreGoogle Playwaymo.com

After the hail

Own the FSD-class car

If unsupervised rides clicked, sketch a monthly Tesla lease in Seattle. Numbers are payment floors · FSD (Supervised) is a Tesla software option, not inside these comps.

Comps as of 2026-09-03 · Seattle when we have a local mid · not a quote · Keep the class in Garage, or open Lease.

Open Garage · Lease bay