Waymo revealed that it will make its debut in Las Vegas the following summer.  Currently, LA, San Francisco, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Austin are served by the self-driving car company.

“Vegas is known for its fun and games, but one thing you shouldn’t gamble on is road safety,” the company, which has completed more than 10 million trips, said Monday. “That’s why Waymo is returning to Las Vegas to bring the safety, reliability, and magic of our autonomous ride-hailing service to residents and visitors alike beginning next summer.”

Robotaxis do crash, just like any other vehicle on a road driven by people, even if they have a better safety record than human drivers.  They also produce other intriguing scenarios.

Time Spent on Waymo

Waymo, a division of Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, has already carried out brief test runs in Las Vegas, but it says it will return permanently this time.

The announcement stated that "we're working to eventually serve the airport" in addition to providing service to the Strip.

Waymo must first receive approval for commercial operations from representatives of Clark County, the City of Las Vegas (downtown), and the state DMV, but that is really a formality.

Shelley Berkley, the mayor of the city, endorsed Waymo's announcement, saying, "The introduction of Waymo and its autonomous driving technology is not a science experiment, but rather a proven, safe, new alternative designed to help our residents and the millions of visitors who come to our city get around — from the Strip and beyond."

The all-electric Jaguar I-PACE with the fifth-generation Waymo Driver and its new Zeekr RT cars with the sixth-generation Waymo Driver will make up Waymo's self-driving fleet.

In September, Amazon's Zoox, Waymo's biggest rival, unveiled its robotaxis on the Las Vegas Strip.

Waymo also announced its expansion into Detroit and San Diego on Monday.