A Waymo rider-only robotaxi is seen during a test ride in San Francisco, California, U.S., December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Paresh Dave

(Reuters) -Alphabet's Waymo will expand its robotaxi operations to Minneapolis, Tampa and New Orleans in the coming days, the ride-hailing service provider said on Thursday, as it accelerates the broad rollout of its services in the U.S.

The company said it will begin operations in the new markets with human-driven vehicles, following a phased playbook it has used in its existing public-service cities.

This approach typically starts with detailed mapping and data collection, followed by supervised autonomous testing, restricted public access and, eventually, fully driverless rides.

Waymo, which Alphabet carved out of Google's self-driving car project in 2016, is the only operator in the U.S. offering paid robotaxi services with no safety drivers or in-vehicle attendants. It fields a fleet of more than 1,500 vehicles.

With Tesla, Amazon.com's Zoox and other rivals investing heavily in autonomous driving, Waymo's latest push highlights an intensifying race to bring fully self-driving vehicles to market.

Safety, performance, technology maturity and cooperation with regulators are emerging as key battlegrounds in that contest, as companies vie for future market share.

Waymo on Tuesday began operating fully autonomous vehicles in Miami and announced its plans to roll out operations for its employees in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando in the coming weeks, ahead of a public launch for riders in 2026.

(Reporting by Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas)