Waymo is beefing up its robotaxi presence in Houston, nearly doubling its coverage to roughly 50 square miles and extending driverless rides into new territory, including East Downtown (EaDo) and the Texas Medical Center. The newly expanded zone reaches NRG Stadium as the city gets ready to host multiple 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in June and July. Waymo says the rollout will reach more riders over the coming weeks, giving fans another way to get around alongside buses and light rail during the tournament.
What’s changing
Waymo’s Houston coverage is set to grow from about 25 square miles to nearly 50, adding EaDo, the Texas Medical Center and parts of northeast Houston, and pulling NRG Stadium into the map, according to Axios. The company told Axios the larger service area will be phased in over the coming weeks as it invites more riders into the system. The move broadens access around hospitals and major event hubs that are expected to see extra demand this summer.
How to ride and who gets access
Waymo opened a limited, invitation-only robotaxi service in Houston earlier this year and has been adding riders on a rolling basis through the Waymo app, the company said when it announced its public launches. Waymo said the gradual rollout lets it scale safely while fine-tuning routing and rider support. Local TV station KHOU also aired video coverage of the expansion on Wednesday.
Safety and the recent recall
The expansion is landing in the middle of a voluntary software recall affecting 3,791 Waymo vehicles after one vehicle entered a flooded roadway in Texas, according to a recall report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA says the vehicles “may slow but not stop” for some untraversable flooded lanes on higher-speed roads. Waymo put interim weather-related restrictions in place on April 20 and told local reporters it would not scale back Houston operations, according to the Houston Chronicle.
What it means for World Cup travel
METRO is planning enhanced rail and bus service from June 7 through July 11 to move fans to NRG Stadium and the Fan Fest in EaDo, outlining park-and-ride options and extended rail hours on its World Cup page. METRO says the schedule includes extra Red, Green and Purple line service, plus special Park & Ride routes to help manage stadium crowds. The added Waymo coverage offers another on-demand option, although transit officials have urged heavy use of mass transit to keep congestion and parking headaches in check.
Neighborhood impact
Some residents are already feeling the growing pains. Neighbors have raised quality-of-life complaints since the initial launch, saying parked Waymo vehicles have at times stacked up near a Fifth Ward rail crossing and blocked driveways, according to the Houston Chronicle. The city and Waymo say they have adjusted routing to cut down on disruptions and will keep tweaking operations as the service scales up. For now, officials describe Waymo’s expansion as a supplement to, not a replacement for, the stepped-up METRO services planned for the tournament.
