Waymo continues to add self-driving robotaxis to more US 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.
While Waymo hasn’t announced an official launch date, the company — which is owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet — is sending human drivers out in its vehicles to familiarize its Waymo Driver technology with Portland’s streets.
The city’s mayor is on board.
“We need every tool to help us meet our Vision Zero goals, and autonomous technology plays an increasingly important role in providing a safe, thriving, affordable multimodal transportation system,” said Keith Wilson, mayor of Portland, 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 that it believes Portland’s independent spirit and sense of community make the city a fitting place for Waymo’s expansion. Some of those independent community members, though, have different opinions.
Opposition to Waymo in Portland
According to Oregon Live, opposition to Waymo’s plans centers on safety, accessibility, the potential for human ride-hailing drivers to lose income and the need for permits to drive autonomous cars on Portland streets.
A Waymo representative told CNET that the company seeks a formal statewide regulatory system authorizing its technology before beginning public service. For this, the company will follow its own safety 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 that Waymo spent thousands of dollars lobbying Portland city officials in late 2025. That may have smoothed the way for a proposed bill that would have allowed self-driving vehicles in Oregon without a license or permit. That bill failed to pass.
Uber’s 2014 entrance into Portland also met opposition.
According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, the Portland City Council is considering a measure that would raise pay for Uber and Lyft drivers, reducing the companies’ own profits. If that proposal passes, both companies have said they’d leave the city.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
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