Waymo to begin passenger rides in its new Ojai robotaxi

What happened

According to The Verge’s source item, Waymo to begin passenger rides in its new Ojai robotaxi, After several months of testing, Waymo is finally ready to invite non-employee passengers into its newest vehicle, the Zeekr RT minivan, which has been rebranded as Ojai. Waymo says it will begin offering “select riders” access in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, before “gradually” expanding to more riders and cities. Trips will be free […] After several months of testing, Waymo is finally ready to invite non-employee passengers into its newest vehicle, the Zeekr RT minivan, which has been rebranded as Ojai . Waymo says it will begin offering “select riders” access in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, before “gradually” expanding to more riders and cities. Trips will be free to start out, as Waymo collects data about the passenger experience in the new vehicle. Paid rides will follow. Waymo’s current fleet of Jaguar I-Pace vehicles runs on the company’s fifth generat

Context

The development sits in VINI’s Technology file for readers following technology, science, product policy, markets, infrastructure, and the public consequences of innovation. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-05-28T15:00:00+00:00.

What to watch

Open questions include whether primary sources issue follow-up statements, whether local or market impacts become clearer, and whether additional reporting changes the timeline or adds material context.

Source

Primary source: Waymo to begin passenger rides in its new Ojai robotaxi via The Verge. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.