Waymo, the autonomous vehicle unit of Alphabet, is expanding its commercial robotaxi service to four new major U.S. cities. The company announced it is opening to select public riders in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando. This move brings its total operational metro areas to ten and solidifies its early lead in the autonomous driving sector over competitors like Tesla. The company reports rapid growth, having quadrupled trips last year and delivering 15 million rides. Waymo’s co-CEO stated the service is on track to provide over one million rides weekly by year’s end as it plans for more than 20 cities.
Waymo has begun driverless robotaxi operations for select riders in four new U.S. cities. The expansion into Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando was announced on Wednesday.
This marks the first time the Alphabet-owned service has opened to the public in multiple cities simultaneously. The move deepens the company’s commitment in Texas and Florida, bringing its total commercial metro areas to ten.
“Today, we continue our accelerated growth and welcome the first public riders into our fully autonomous ride-hailing service in four new cities,” the robotaxi service stated. “This brings our total commercial metro areas to 10.”
The expansion widens Waymo’s early lead in autonomous driving over rival Tesla. The company ended last year having quadrupled its number of robotaxi trips.
Waymo delivered 15 million rides in a single year and has surpassed 20 million lifetime rides. It is considered one of Alphabet‘s significant revenue aids, which has spurred GOOGL stock performance.
“Waymo is serving more riders than ever, as we are on track to serve over one million rides per week by the end of this year,” said co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana. “Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando are critical to our plans, as we lay groundwork for service in 20+ cities.”
