Waymo expands San Diego robotaxi map to La Jolla and UC San Diego
The service area now covers about 90 square miles, while airport trips and highway driving remain unavailable
Waymo has expanded its San Diego robotaxi service north into La Jolla, Clairemont and University City, bringing the operating area to about 90 square miles. The enlarged map includes UC San Diego, the VA Medical Center and the UTC area, while riders can check eligibility for individual addresses through the Waymo app or its updated service-area map.
The move takes the service well beyond the zone launched in September, which NBC San Diego put at 50 square miles, running from Logan Heights to Pacific Beach and from Sunset Cliffs to Normal Heights. Another account of the original map, cited by Hoodline, described it as roughly 40 square miles, but both descriptions excluded La Jolla, Clairemont and the UTC corridor.
As we reported on Oct. 14, Waymo had already removed the access-code requirement for rides within its then-existing San Diego area, opening app bookings to all users. The latest change expands the territory in which those users can request trips, rather than merely changing access to the earlier map.
Waymo said its San Diego expansion was part of a wider addition of nearly 250 square miles across Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area. “In San Diego, we’re headed north to La Jolla,” the company said.
The company had tested autonomous vehicles in San Diego earlier this year with a safety driver, and later tested vehicles with specialists riding in them. Driverless rides became available to Waymo employees on July 9 before public service began Sept. 1.
The service still did not include airport trips when the enlarged map was reported, and its robotaxis operated on local streets rather than highways. Waymo planned to add highway driving, airport service and further coverage in the coming months.
The expansion followed an August approval by the California Public Utilities Commission of Waymo’s updated operating program, covering San Diego, Sacramento and communities in 16 other counties. In September, San Diego’s City Council unanimously requested greater local authority over autonomous taxi companies, including the power to bar them from the airport.