Waymo robotaxis are now operating in 10 US cities

Waymo is set to enhance its robotaxi offerings by launching services in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando, marking a significant step in the autonomous vehicle company's rapid expansion. This latest rollout will follow a similar strategy as previous public launches, where select riders who have installed the Waymo app will receive invitations to enjoy their first rides starting Tuesday. New users will gradually be incorporated into the service, aiming for universal access to ride-hailing through the app in the near future. The introduction of these cities adds a remarkable layer to Waymo's swift expansion strategy. Just last February, Waymo was already running commercial robotaxi services in Phoenix and some neighboring areas, alongside parts of Los Angeles and San Francisco. At that time, Alphabet's CEO Sundar Pichai reported that Waymo was facilitating over 200,000 rides weekly. In the past year, Waymo has not only expanded its presence in existing markets—especially in San Francisco, where its service area now extends along Highway 101 to San Jose—but also broadened its operational scope. The service now reaches three airports, including San Francisco International, and has partnered with Uber to provide rides in Atlanta and Austin. Additionally, it has extended its operations to include freeways in three cities and recently opened its robotaxi services to the public in Miami. While Waymo typically refrains from disclosing its latest ridership figures, the last reported count indicated over 400,000 rides per week, a number that has likely increased significantly since then. The company shows no signs of slowing down, with plans to launch in several more cities this year, including Denver, London, and Washington, D.C. Moreover, Waymo secured an impressive $16 billion in funding from investors like Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital, bringing its valuation to $126 billion. Currently, Waymo operates a fleet of approximately 3,000 robotaxis across six markets: Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area. While the fleet is expected to expand with the inclusion of the new cities, the initial rollout will involve only a handful of vehicles, with plans to scale up in response to rider demand over the coming months. The workforce dedicated to monitoring the robotaxis and addressing specific inquiries from the self-driving system is also anticipated to grow, although specific details remain undisclosed. Waymo's expansion is driven by an ambitious vision outlined by co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, despite ongoing scrutiny and investigations from safety regulators. Following an incident where one of Waymo’s robotaxis struck a child near a school in Santa Monica, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has initiated an investigation, and the National Transportation Safety Board is examining the robotaxis' interactions with school buses. Mawakana emphasized in a blog post that Waymo aims to serve over one million rides per week by the year's end, laying the groundwork for future robotaxi services in over 20 cities.