Waymo continues to add an autonomous robotaxis to more American cities. On Tuesday, the company announced its next location: Portland, Oregon. Portland will join Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Orlando and a handful of other cities.
Although Waymo hasn’t announced an official launch date, the company — which is owned by Google parent Alphabet — is sending human drivers in its vehicles to familiarize its Waymo Driver technology with the streets of Portland.
The city’s mayor is there.
“We need every tool to help us achieve our Vision Zero goals, and autonomous technology plays an increasingly important role in providing a safe, prosperous and affordable multimodal transportation system,” Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said in Waymo’s press release. Vision Zero is a Portland program aimed at eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries.
In the press release, Waymo said it believed Portland’s independent spirit and sense of community made the city a suitable location for Waymo’s expansion. Some of these independent community members, however, have different opinions.
Opposition to Waymo in Portland
According to Oregon Live, opposition to Waymo’s plans focuses on safety, accessibility, the risk of lost income for human drivers, and the need to obtain permits to operate self-driving cars on Portland streets.
A Waymo representative told CNET that the company was seeking a formal statewide regulatory system licensing its technology before beginning public service. For this, the company will follow its own security framework and must obtain the necessary permits.
According to Waymo, its technology has a serious injury crash rate about 13 times lower than that of human drivers in the cities where it operates.
Portland’s history with new transportation services
Oregon Live reports that city records show Waymo spent thousands of dollars lobbying Portland city officials in late 2025. That could have paved the way for a bill that would have allowed autonomous vehicles in Oregon without a license or permit. This bill was not adopted.
Uber’s entry into Portland in 2014 also faced opposition.
According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, the Portland City Council is considering a measure that would increase wages for Uber and Lyft drivers, cutting into the companies’ profits. If this proposal passes, both companies have announced they will leave the city.
