Waymo Waitlist: How Early Access to a New City Works

Independent rider's guide. Not affiliated with Waymo, Tesla, Zoox, Uber or Lyft. We don't book rides: book in the official apps. About our independence

Checked Nov 11, 20265 sources cited below

The Waymo waitlist is how a new city opens. Waymo starts by "gradually adding riders": you download the app, and it lets you know when it's your turn. Later the city opens to everyone and the wait disappears. When we checked, Denver and Las Vegas were still in the gradual phase. You don't need an invite code, and we don't publish any.

How Waymo opens a city

Waymo's announcements follow the same pattern: "To be one of the first to ride, just download the app and we'll let you know when it's your turn," then, weeks or months later, "anyone can download the app and ride... no invite code required" (Waymo). Checked Nov 11, 2026

CityFirst ridersOpen to allWait
MiamiJanuary 22, 2026April 15, 2026About 12 weeks
OrlandoFebruary 24, 2026April 15, 2026About 7 weeks
NashvilleApril 7, 2026June 25, 2026About 11 weeks
DallasFebruary 24, 2026August 4, 2026About 5 months
HoustonFebruary 24, 2026August 20, 2026About 6 months
Tampa, San DiegoSeptember 1, 2026October 14, 2026About 6 weeks
DenverSeptember 1, 2026Not yet
Las VegasSeptember 14, 2026Not yet

Dates from Waymo's announcements; waits are our arithmetic. Waymo's FAQ lists Denver among cities anyone can ride, while its service-area page still says it is gradually adding riders.

Getting in sooner

  • Download the app and sign up as early as you can; the list is in the app.
  • Open the app inside the city: Waymo has told riders in the past to open the app within a territory to be notified.
  • Plan a short visit around a city that is already open to all; see the cities checker.

About "invite codes"

You'll see websites offering Waymo promo or invite codes. Waymo's announcements for the cities that opened to everyone say no invite code is required, and the gradual cities work through the app's own list. We don't publish codes and can't confirm any that others sell or share. Waymo Premier, which Waymo describes as an invite-only paid membership with priority pickups, is a separate thing from getting access to a city.

Zoox and Tesla

Zoox's San Francisco waitlist works through its app: create an account, answer the survey it emails you, and Zoox lets in riders near its service area first (Zoox). Tesla says you can already hail a car in its listed cities (Tesla).

Related: Launch timeline · Las Vegas · Robotaxi cities · How to ride Waymo

Questions riders ask

Do I need an invite code for Waymo?

No. In cities open to everyone you just download the app and ride. In cities still adding riders, Waymo lets people in from the app's sign-up list. Waymo's own announcements describe no code you can enter to skip ahead, and we don't publish codes.

How long is the Waymo waitlist?

Waymo doesn't say. In 2026, the time from first riders to open-to-all was about 12 weeks in Miami, 11 in Nashville and five to six months in Dallas and Houston.

Which cities have a Waymo waitlist?

When we checked, Waymo was gradually adding riders in Denver and Las Vegas. Zoox runs a waitlist in San Francisco.

Sources

BookARobotaxi Editorial Team

We check every fare, city, airport and rule against the operators' own help pages, regulators and reputable reporting, and we date each check. Reported figures are labeled as reported. We don't sell rides, codes or rankings. About us · How we source and check facts