Waymo's self-driving taxis are coming to Tampa

State of play: Waymo will roll out a fleet of all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles, which are equipped with sensors and with cameras on their roofs, "in the coming days," the company said.

• Humans will operate the cars "during our initial mapping and validation phase," spokesperson Ethan Teicher told Axios.
• The company will then conduct autonomous testing with a human at the wheel, followed by fully autonomous testing with employee passengers before the service opens to the public, Teicher said.

What they're saying: Mayor Jane Castor praised the expansion in a statement, calling it "another step toward a safer, smarter and more connected city."

The big picture: The Tampa move comes amid a major expansion push for the company, which is fully operational in five metros nationwide.

• It plans to launch in over a dozen more cities in the next year or so.

Torey Van Oot contributed to this report.