Waymo Expands Robotaxi Service to 10 Cities; Logs 200 Million Miles Driven
Alphabet’s Waymo expanded autonomous ride-hailing to 10 cities including Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and Orlando, up from six, and has logged over 200 million autonomous miles while weekly rides climbed from 450,000 towards a projected one million by year-end. Its fleet faces an NHTSA probe after multiple vehicle incidents.
1. Waymo City Expansion
On February 25, Waymo rolled out its autonomous ride-hailing service in Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and Orlando, increasing its footprint to 10 U.S. cities and broadening its market reach beyond its initial six-city network.
2. Performance Milestones
The company’s weekly ridership has grown from 450,000 rides to a pace that is projected to exceed one million rides per week by year-end, and its self-driving system has now accumulated over 200 million autonomous miles.
3. Regulatory Challenges
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched an investigation into more than 3,000 Waymo vehicles following several incidents, including collisions with parked cars and a robotaxi striking a child in a school zone.
4. Competitive Landscape
Tesla is set to begin production of its sub-$30,000 Cybercab in April while Baidu’s Apollo Go service achieved 300,000 weekly rides and expanded into South Korea, intensifying competition in the robotaxi market.