Self-driving taxi service Waymo to start mapping Cincinnati and NKY

Waymo, the self-driving taxi service, is mapping downtown Cincinnati and surrounding areas, including Northern Kentucky, the company reported Sept. 1. Chris Bonelli, Waymo's product communications manager, said in an email that Cincinnati area residents will see the company's Jaguar I-PACE vehicles

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What is the story about?

A Waymo vehicle travels on a street on May 14, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Waymo, owned by Alphabet, is recalling more than 1,200 self-driving vehicles to update software to address risks of collisions with roadway barriers after U.S. safety investigators opened a probe.

Waymo, the self-driving taxi service, is mapping downtown Cincinnati and surrounding areas, including Northern Kentucky, the company reported Sept. 1.

Chris Bonelli, Waymo's product communications manager, said in an email that Cincinnati area residents will see the company's Jaguar I-PACE vehicles being driven manually around town, there's no word when or if the service will be available.

"For now, we are only here to map the area and will leave when the project is complete," Bonelli said. "When we are ready to return, we’ll reach out and share more."

Waymo currently serves 14 metropolitan areas, according to its website, with Nashville being the closest to Cincinnati. The company lists another 18 cities as "up next," but Cincinnati is not among

them.

Bonelli said Waymo is working with officials in Cincinnati and Ohio as its teams map the area.

"They will drive in the downtown and surrounding areas – including Northern Kentucky – to create a high-definition map of the area, which is a key first step in validating our technology in a new city," Bonelli said.

Waymo is owned by Alphabet, the parent company to Google. According to a CNBC report, both Waymo and its competitor Zooxare expanding their robotaxi operations in the U.S. Zoox is owned by Amazon.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Self-driving taxi service Waymo to start mapping Cincinnati and NKY