Waymo has recently announced a remarkable milestone, now facilitating 500,000 paid robotaxi rides weekly across ten cities in the U.S., as shared via a post on X. This impressive surge is indicative of the company’s rapid commercial expansion and growth in both ridership and market presence.
In under two years, Waymo has escalated its average weekly paid robotaxi trips from 50,000 in May 2024 to 500,000 now. During the same period, Waymo expanded its operations beyond its initial markets of Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles to include Austin, Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando—seven cities added in just the past year.
The size of Waymo’s robotaxi fleet has also increased, although the company is somewhat reticent to disclose specific numbers. As of December 2025, data submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicated a fleet of 3,067 robotaxis equipped with its 5th generation autonomous driving technology. This fleet size has remained stable, but there are anticipations for growth with the rollout of their 6th generation system, which will be featured in the Zeekr minivan and Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Despite a steady fleet size, the significant increase in weekly rides suggests that Waymo is maximising the efficiency of each vehicle. This optimisation is crucial, as unoccupied robotaxis can lead to increased congestion without generating revenue.
However, Waymo’s journey has not been without challenges. The company has faced increased scrutiny from both regulators and the public. Investigations have been launched by NHTSA and the National Transportation Safety Board regarding Waymo’s robotaxis exhibiting illegal behaviour near school buses, as well as concerns from San Francisco officials about the handling of immobilised vehicles, including reliance on emergency services for vehicle retrieval.
Waymo’s current ridership, while significant, still pales in comparison to that of Uber, which completed approximately 13.5 billion rides in 2025 across both its ride-hailing and delivery services. Uber’s peak was over one million mobility trips per hour, suggesting that Waymo has not yet begun to challenge Uber directly.
Nevertheless, Waymo’s lead in the robotaxi sector is becoming increasingly pronounced. Despite competition from numerous companies eager to penetrate this market, few have achieved a fully operational and profitable autonomous ride-hailing service. While some Chinese rivals, like Pony.ai and WeRide, have commenced charging for rides, none function within the U.S. Tesla has also initiated a paid robotaxi service in Austin, but is yet to secure the necessary permits for a fully autonomous offering in California.
With various companies, including Motional and Zoox, aiming to launch paid robotaxi services within the year, they have considerable ground to cover to match Waymo’s current success in the autonomous transport landscape.
Fanpage: TechArena.au
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