Waymo, under the umbrella of Google, continues to actively test and deploy its robotaxis. The company recently announced that it has reached a milestone of 50,000 weekly rides. Operating in cities like Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, Waymo is expanding its reach across the United States.
Robotaxis Becoming a Reality
In a recent announcement via X, Waymo revealed that it provides over 50,000 paid rides per week across the three cities. Waymo One operates 24/7 in certain areas of these cities. This translates to an average of 300 bookings per hour or 5 bookings every minute. Additionally, the company is expanding its operations to Austin. Taking into account these four cities, Waymo disclosed that it has completed over a million rides.
Waymo emphasizes its commitment to providing independent and worry-free transportation for all segments of society, positioning themselves as a preferred mobility option for city dwellers. The numbers indeed support this claim. However, ventures like Waymo pose a risk to traditional taxis.
Nevertheless, Waymo’s robotaxis are not without their flaws. Just recently, several Waymo vehicles caused a traffic jam on a highway in San Francisco, simply due to placed cones. Moreover, two Waymo vehicles rear-ended a truck. Thus, there is still a long way to go for driverless robotaxis. Additionally, various other changes such as city and road infrastructure upgrades and legal regulations are needed. Who knows, maybe in the near future, we’ll start seeing lanes dedicated solely to robotaxis in cities.
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