Waymo Begins Testing Self-Driving Cars on San Antonio Streets

by Tre Serrano

 

Big news for San Antonio’s transportation future—Waymo, a self-driving car company owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, has officially started testing its autonomous vehicles on San Antonio roads. You might have already seen these high-tech cars cruising through the city, easily recognizable by their spinning sensors and rooftop equipment.

🚗 What’s Happening on San Antonio Streets?

As of this summer, Waymo’s self-driving cars are being tested throughout San Antonio, including high-traffic areas like Downtown, the Medical Center, Stone Oak, and the I-10 corridor.
While the vehicles are equipped with cutting-edge autonomous technology, trained safety drivers are currently behind the wheel to monitor performance and ensure safety as these cars learn local streets, highways, traffic patterns, and intersections unique to the San Antonio area.

Waymo’s San Antonio launch is part of a broader expansion across Texas and beyond. Similar self-driving vehicle tests are underway in Houston, Dallas, and Orlando, as Waymo pushes toward nationwide readiness for autonomous ride-hailing services.

🚦 Why San Antonio?

San Antonio offers a diverse driving environment—from narrow historic streets in neighborhoods like King William and Alamo Heights to wide suburban roadways in Schertz, Cibolo, and New Braunfels. This diversity makes San Antonio a prime location to train self-driving technology in real-world, variable conditions.

The city’s growing size—combined with a mix of urban, suburban, and rural roads—makes it the perfect proving ground for the next generation of autonomous ride-share vehicles.
This also puts San Antonio on the map as a smart transportation city, keeping pace with technology-driven hubs like Austin, Dallas, and Phoenix.

🛣️ What This Means for San Antonio’s Future

  • Smarter Roadways: Waymo’s self-driving vehicles collect massive amounts of data that can improve traffic flow, predict congestion patterns, and potentially enhance the safety of San Antonio’s busiest roadways like Loop 1604 and I-35.

  • Potential for Driverless Ride-Sharing: While no official launch date has been announced, San Antonio could soon see fully autonomous taxis similar to Waymo’s operations in Phoenix and San Francisco.

  • Local Job Creation and Tech Growth: Waymo’s presence may attract additional autonomous tech investment and create new support roles in vehicle maintenance, data analysis, and smart infrastructure within the San Antonio metro area.

  • Real Estate Impact:
    As transportation evolves, proximity to major autonomous ride-share hubs and high-tech transit corridors (such as areas near the San Antonio International Airport, Downtown, and The Rim) could become a key selling point for future homebuyers looking for accessibility and modern conveniences.

🚙 How San Antonio Compares to Tesla’s Expansion

While Tesla has dominated headlines with self-driving capabilities in Austin and across Texas highways, Waymo’s focus is specifically on fully autonomous ride-sharing fleets.
This distinction positions San Antonio as a testing ground for more affordable, public-facing autonomous transportation—not just high-end self-driving vehicles.

So, while Tesla continues to evolve its driver-assist features, Waymo’s test fleet is aiming to remove the human driver altogether, offering a radically different vision for the future of getting around San Antonio.


📢 What to Do If You Spot a Waymo Car in San Antonio

Waymo’s vehicles are already collecting data across the city. If you see a car with spinning LiDAR sensors on top, cameras, and Waymo branding, snap a photo and share it!
You’re witnessing a piece of San Antonio’s transportation future.

📬 Brought to you by CallTheCavalryGroup.com – Helping you track where technology, lifestyle, and long-term value meet in San Antonio and beyond.

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Tre Serrano

Team Lead | License ID: 687355

+1(914) 282-2370

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