Waymo Reports 250,000 Weekly Robotaxi Rides Across US Cities

Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous vehicle division, has reached a milestone of over 250,000 paid robotaxi rides per week across cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin—a 25% increase since February. This growth reflects rising consumer acceptance and demand for autonomous ride-hailing, fueled by Waymo's expansion into new markets and partnerships with companies like Uber, with Atlanta set to launch soon. CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted ongoing collaborations with automakers and service providers to scale the business and hinted at future possibilities for personal vehicle ownership equipped with Waymo's technology. In the competitive landscape, Waymo leads the U.S. market, outpacing Tesla, whose robotaxi service remains unproven and limited to supervised trials, with critics noting Tesla's reliance on less expensive camera-based systems as opposed to Waymo's more robust sensor suites. Despite Elon Musk's bold predictions of Tesla's eventual dominance, industry experts and former Waymo executives have expressed skepticism, noting that Tesla has yet to offer public robotaxi rides. The sector remains competitive, with other contenders like Amazon's Zoox and Volkswagen entering the space, but Waymo is currently positioned as the industry leader.