Thrive
Driverless vehicle company expresses interest in Pinellas County
Waymo representatives met with St. Pete officials Tuesday.
Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet, Inc., is preparing to introduce a public autonomous vehicle service in Tampa. However, the business is also exploring opportunities in Pinellas County.
“Waymo reached out earlier this week and scheduled a meeting with our Transportation department for August 11,” said City of St. Petersburg spokesperson Samantha Bequer in an email. “That meeting was the first conversation the City has had with Waymo representatives. Waymo said they are interested in expanding their operations into Pinellas County and are looking to do an initial meet and greet with the City.”
She added that prior to the Tuesday meeting, the “City did not have any conversations with Waymo.” However, St. Petersburg representatives had discussions with City of Tampa officials about the company.
“We can’t wait to serve riders in Tampa, and are working towards launching our service in the city soon,” wrote a Waymo spokesperson, who wished not to be identified, in an email. “While we have no updates to provide on expanding our service area, we look forward to servicing more of the Tampa Bay area over time.”
Waymo does not currently have plans to serve Pinellas County. However, the company does meet with local officials to keep them informed of plans and ensure alignment.
The business’s autonomous vehicles utilize cameras, radars and audio sensors to drive. In December 2025, Waymo began testing its technology in Tampa. Tesla officially launched its Robotaxi service in certain sections of Tampa last month.
Google began working on self-driving technology in 2009. According to Waymo’s website, the organization first “set out on a challenge to drive autonomously over ten uninterrupted 100-mile routes in our Toyota Prius vehicles.”
In 2015, the Google Self-Driving Car Project completed its first fully autonomous ride on a public road. Waymo became an independent technology company the next year. By 2018, a commercial autonomous ride-hailing service was introduced in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Two years later, it became available to “all members of the public.”
Waymo launched its autonomous vehicles in San Francisco in 2022. Initially, the service was only available to people on a waitlist and members of the company’s Trusted Tester early-access research program. In 2023, the company expanded to Los Angeles, initially offering rides to employees. By 2024, anyone in San Francisco and Los Angeles could download the organization’s mobile app and book a ride.
Waymo is also serving customers in municipalities such as Orlando, Miami, Dallas, Houston and Nashville. Additionally, the organization is planning to launch its service in 20 different cities around the world.
