Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s self-driving car company Waymo has approved the expansion of its driverless ride to San Jose and other regions in South Bay, marking an important regulatory milestone. According to Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Waymo is aligning with automakers, ride-hailing service Uber, and operations and maintenance companies that take care of its fleet of vehicles.

On May 19, 2025, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) formally authorized Waymo's passenger safety program, paving the way for the tech giant to expand its service areas across the peninsula and San Francisco. This regulatory development comes ahead of Waymo's March submission of its proposed CPUC, outlining its goal of increasing its business footprint in the Gulf region.

The business wrote on Monday X:

“We are pleased to share that CPUC has approved our application for fully automatic commercial rides in South Bay and nearly all of San Jose!” “While this will not change our operations in the near future, we look forward to bringing the benefits of Waymo One into more Bay Areas in the future.”

"Waymo embodies the innovative spirit of our region, so it's time for them to join us in the Silicon Valley capital," said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.

California DMV is evaluating new rules for self-driving car operations, which is why Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s Waymo is expanding rapidly. As of April, the business reported that it offered 250,000 paid rides across the United States and continued to expand its commercial deployment. That same month, Waymo announced its first collaboration with Toyota to explore the inclusion of autonomous technology into private cars.

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