Waymo will begin sending out its fleet of all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles around the city — with people driving the cars — "as we get to know the community and begin preparations to welcome public riders in the future," the company said in a news release.
Owned by Google parent Alphabet Inc., Waymo operates similarly to Uber and Lyft, with users able to hail rides from an app on their smartphones. But unlike a traditional taxi or rideshare service, the vehicles travel roads without a driver.
"Our approach in St. Louis will be the same as a growing list of others Waymo now operates in — diligently following our safety framework as we validate our technology and deliberately scale our service over time," the company said.
Waymo on Wednesday also announced expansions into Baltimore, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The service is already available in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta and Austin, Texas.
The company traces its roots back to 2009, when Google launched its self-driving car project. Waymo was founded as an independent company under Alphabet in 2016.
But the introduction of self-driving technology in other cities has not come without conflict.
Rideshare drivers protested in Seattle after Waymo announced plans to expand to the city, raising concerns that the driverless cars could replace them. New York City taxi drivers have demonstrated against the self-driving cars, with New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers saying hundreds of thousands of driver jobs were at risk.
Opponents have also said the new technology poses safety concerns, though Waymo contends it is improving road safety where it operates.
With its initial drives in St. Louis, the company aims to create a high-definition map and collect early data.
In Missouri, it has early fans among elected officials.
House Speaker Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee's Summit, cheered Waymo's entry in the company's news release.
“Waymo’s arrival in St. Louis is an exciting step forward for our state,” he said. “It will offer a safe and reliable transportation option for its residents. I look forward to working with Waymo to safely introduce this technology to our communities.”
U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., also quickly announced his support in an email from his office.
“Great news — Waymo is coming to St. Louis! Their driverless fleet of cars will improve roadway safety, support innovation, and give people more options for getting around!”
Waymo signed four Missouri lobbyists on Nov. 3, records show — Rodney Boyd, Kate Casas, Brian Grace and Kelvin Simmons, all of the Nexus Group.
Waymo believes that Missouri law is silent on the operation of autonomous vehicles, said Chris Bonelli, spokesperson for Waymo.
This week, two measures were filed by state lawmakers to be considered in next year's legislative session to allow fully autonomous vehicles on public roads if certain conditions are met.
The legislation is Senate Bill 1050 and House Bill 2069.
© 2025 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Visit www.stltoday.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
