AUSTIN — Waymo has started offering some Austin riders trips on local freeways, expanding the company’s autonomous-vehicle service beyond surface streets. The freeway option is being introduced gradually. Riders must request a trip through the Uber app, and freeway travel will initially be available only on select rides. Waymo said it plans to make the service available to more passengers over time. The company said the expansion follows several months of testing on Austin-area highways. A Waymo spokesperson said freeway access could make some trips faster and more efficient, though the company did not provide a timeline for full availability. Waymo began operating its autonomous fleet through Uber in Austin in spring 2025. Since then, its service area has grown from 37 square miles to 150 square miles, according to the company, giving riders access to a substantially larger portion of the region. The freeway rollout adds another layer to Austin’s growing experiment with app-based autonomous transportation. For now, passengers should expect availability to vary by trip rather than assume that every Waymo ride will use a freeway.