ElevnEV guides · driverless rides · all operators and metros
How to ride Waymo · first time, step by step
Open to anyone in the metros Waymo lists as serving riders. Where it says up next, driverless cars may already be on the road carrying employees, which is not a service you can hail.
The app. Waymo app (iOS / Android). In Austin and Atlanta you hail it inside the Uber app instead.
The ride, in order
- 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.
- 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.
- Luggage goes in the trunk: open it from the app or the physical button on the car.
- Get in, buckle up, then tap Start ride on the in-car screen or in the app.It will not move until you do.
- Need out early?Tap Pull over in the app or on the screen and it finds a safe spot.
- Stuck?Support on the in-car screen, the Help tab in the app, or 1-844-261-3753.
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.
Where it serves riders, in our metros
Dallas · riding todayWaymo's own app, no waitlist since 4 Aug 2026. The service area covers the urban core; the app shows the live boundary.The Dallas picture →Austin · riding todayThe local quirk: you hail it inside the Uber app, not Waymo's own. Request a normal ride and Uber may offer a Waymo; its settings let you say yes to driverless every time or never.The Austin picture →Los Angeles · riding todayWaymo's own app. The geofence runs Santa Monica through downtown and keeps growing, but LAX is not in it and neither are the mountains.The Los Angeles picture →San Francisco · riding todayWaymo's own app, citywide plus a good slice of the Peninsula. SFO works only through the AirTrain transfer, never the terminal curb.The San Francisco picture →Phoenix · riding todayWaymo's own app, in its oldest and largest service area: Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler and the Sky Harbor curbs, around the clock. Teen accounts (ages 14 to 17) exist here and nowhere else so far.The Phoenix picture →Miami · riding todayWaymo's own app, not Uber here. The geofence favours the beach-to-downtown corridor, which is exactly the trip robotaxis are best at.The Miami picture →
On the road but not hailable: San Diego · Las Vegas · Denver · Seattle. Cars on the road and a service you can hail are different facts · those pages say which one their metro has.
What a ride costs · shape, not quotes
Waymo ~$1.40-2.50/mi, typical ride ~$20, per mid-2026 reporting. Per reporting checked 2026-08-16 · it changes without notice, and 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. A fifth person means two rides.
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.
The airports it can do
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 2026-08-16. The app is ground truth. Past the geofence the trip coach picks up · plan the rental half of the trip.