Waymo is poised for Oakland

Self-driving Waymo taxis have become common sights in San Francisco and the Peninsula over the last year. But passengers haven't yet been able to use them to drive into Oakland. And while Tesla's Robotaxi app has been available in Oakland for a year, so far it only hails Tesla cars with drivers supervising the automated tech — and not the company's fully automated golden Cybertaxis without drivers, steering wheels or even visible brakes. Now Waymo has the green light to roll out in Oakland. And there are some hints Cybertaxis may follow their lead. Last month, Waymo, the automated car company owned by Alphabet, formerly Google Inc., was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission to expand into the East Bay and other California cities. That decision came about a year after the California Department of Motor Vehicles authorized the company to conduct testing and deployment in Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, Hayward, and Alameda. The approval took effect on August 14, according to the commission. The five-member commission, made up of individuals appointed by the governor, includes lawyers with backgrounds in energy, engineering, and electric vehicles. In a statement about the East Bay expansion to the San Jose Mercury News, a Waymo representative said the company looked forward to 'bringing the same mobility and safety benefits millions of Californians already enjoy to more communities, keeping local officials and residents informed every step of the way.' It's not yet known when the Waymo robot cars will be deployed in the East Bay; the company told the Mercury News the rollout would be 'gradual,' and Waymo did not respond to The Oaklandside's queries. That timeline is now entirely up to the company. Waymo deployed its cars in San Diego on September 1, just two weeks after the commission approved them for the city on August 14. When Waymo first launched its car service to paying customers in San Francisco in 2023, the service came online within weeks of the commission's approval. The timing of the deployment of the Waymo robot fleet could depend on technical factors, such as further street mapping and network capacity issues, to ensure that the cars don't stop randomly in the middle of the street, as they often did in San Francisco in the first couple of years and still sometimes do. Waymo may be under pressure to start making money. Earlier this year, its finance team raised a $16 billion venture fund, led by parent company Alphabet, and Alphabet's CEO said at a recent update to employees that Waymo would start to 'meaningfully contribute' to the larger company's overall ledger. A Tesla Cybercab moves through downtown Austin, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. Eric Gay for AP Photo In the meantime, there are signs that Tesla may be planning to deploy its own fleet of robot cars in Oakland. Over the last few weeks, more of the golden Cybercab cars have been seen in and around Oakland, particularly Downtown, near Lake Merritt and Broadway. The company received approval from the commission last year to deploy automated cars in California for staff testing. The company's Robotaxi app has been live for California passengers to use as a service since September 2025, including in Oakland. For now that service still involves human drivers, usually behind the wheel of regular Model Y SUVs, according to CNN, and costs about the same as an Uber or Lyft, based on our review of ride options. The new two-seat golden Cybercab began paid service for passengers in Austin last week after a subdued launch event that did not include remarks from the company's controversial CEO, Elon Musk. Within a day, though, the Cybercab came under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over its self-certification of compliance with federal vehicle safety standards, which require brake and gas pedals on most cars. Quartz reported that the company's stock fell 5% on Friday due to news of the probe and the 'underwhelming' Cybercab launch. Tesla's self-certified automated Robotaxi cars have already established a presence in Oakland thanks to the company's use of two Downtown parking garages. A Business Journal story last May found that fleets of the cars were parked and serviced by Tesla in buildings at 1900 Broadway and 1950 Franklin St. The former garage is in a new apartment building not far from City Hall and provides Tesla rentals to residents. Tesla did not respond to queries.