Waymo’s Robotaxis Expand to 10 US Cities

Waymo is launching its robotaxi services in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando, accelerating its expansion efforts. This rollout will follow its established pattern, initially inviting select riders who have downloaded the Waymo app to begin rides on Tuesday, eventually allowing public access. The inclusion of these new cities emphasizes Waymo’s rapid growth, building on its operations in Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, which provided over 200,000 rides weekly as of last February. Over the past year, Waymo expanded in San Francisco, extending service along Highway 101 to San Jose and accessing three airports, including San Francisco International. Partnerships in Atlanta and Austin and new freeway operations in three cities further demonstrate its expansion. Last month, it opened service in Miami, contributing to its reported 400,000 weekly rides, a figure likely now higher. Waymo plans launches in Denver, London, and Washington, D.C., backed by a $16 billion funding round valuing the company at $126 billion. Its current fleet of 3,000 robotaxis spans six markets, a number expected to grow with the new cities. Chris Bonelli of Waymo stated that dozens of vehicles would be deployed initially, scaling with demand. This expansion will likely see an increase in the workforce supporting the robotaxi operations, although specifics were not disclosed. Amid growth ambitions, Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana aims for over one million weekly rides by year’s end, with groundwork for service in more than 20 cities, despite ongoing safety investigations from recent incidents involving Waymo vehicles.