Waymo to start fully driverless robotaxi service in San Diego, Las Vegas, Tampa and Denver

Alphabet's Waymo said Wednesday it will soon start offering fully autonomous robotaxi rides in San Diego, Las Vegas, Tampa, Florida, and Denver, CNBC reported. Waymo will begin rolling out its driverless vehicles in the four new U.S. cities in the coming weeks, CNBC said. The launch will initially be for Alphabet employees, with the rollout then extending to the public, according to the report. Waymo first announced the expansion plans last year and currently operates driverless cars in more than 10 cities, CNBC reported. As of May, Waymo's domestic fleet included about 4,000 robotaxis equipped with the company's fifth- and sixth-generation automated driving systems, according to filings with U.S. auto safety regulators cited by CNBC. CNBC said Waymo has driven more than 20 million overall autonomous rides and has its sights set on hitting 1 million weekly trips by the end of the year. In February, Waymo raised $16 billion from Alphabet and other backers, the outlet reported. Jennifer Elias reported the story for CNBC, with Lora Kolodny contributing.