Waymo Expands To 10 Cities, Logs 200M Miles While Facing NHTSA Probe
Waymo has launched autonomous ride-hailing in Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and Orlando, bringing its total to 10 US cities and surpassing 200 million self-driven miles. The unit reported 450,000 weekly rides and projects over one million weekly rides by year-end while facing NHTSA scrutiny of 3,000 vehicles.
1. Geographic Expansion and Milestones
Waymo expanded its robotaxi service into Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and Orlando, raising its footprint to 10 US cities. The network has driven over 200 million autonomous miles, increased weekly rides from 450,000, and aims to exceed one million rides per week by year-end.
2. Safety Incidents and Regulatory Scrutiny
Multiple crashes—including a collision with parked vehicles in California and an incident involving a child in a school zone—have prompted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to investigate more than 3,000 Waymo autonomous vehicles under review.
3. Competition From Tesla’s Cybercab and Baidu’s Apollo Go
Tesla plans to begin production of its sub-$30,000 Cybercab in April, despite 14 reported crashes since mid-2025, while Baidu’s Apollo Go delivers 300,000 weekly rides and has formed partnerships to trial services in London.
4. Analyst Comparison of Service Quality
Analysts find Tesla Robotaxis cheaper but hampered by longer wait times and limited unsupervised vehicles, whereas Waymo offers fully autonomous rides with broader availability but recorded occasional human interventions and longer routes.