Waymo is opening its robotaxi services to the public in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando, as the Alphabet-owned autonomous vehicle company quickens its pace of expansion.
Waymo’s rollout will mimic its public launches in previous cities. Select riders who have downloaded the Waymo app will receive an invitation to take their first rides, starting Tuesday. New riders will be added on a rolling basis, and eventually anyone who downloads the app will be able to hail a ride.
The addition of the new cities adds a striking dimension to Waymo’s fast-paced push to expand. Last February, Waymo was operating commercial robotaxi services in Phoenix and some of its surrounding suburbs, parts of Los Angeles, and San Francisco. At the time, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said Waymo was providing more than 200,000 rides every week.
Over the past 12 months, Waymo has expanded in its existing markets, particularly in San Francisco, where its service area now stretches down Highway 101 through numerous towns, all the way to San Jose. It now has access to three airports, including San Francisco International. It has launched a service in partnership with Uber in Atlanta and Austin. It has expanded its operating domain to freeways in three cities. And last month it opened its robotaxi service to the public in Miami.
Waymo tends to hold back on its latest ridership numbers. The last time it provided an update, Waymo said it was providing more than 400,000 rides per week, though the actual number is likely higher by now.
Waymo doesn’t appear to be slowing down, either. It is planning to launch robotaxi services in several more cities this year, including Denver, London, and Washington, D.C., to name a few. And it is now armed with an additional $16 billion raised in round led by Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital that values Waymo at $126 billion.
Waymo currently has a fleet of about 3,000 robotaxis that are spread across its six markets of Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area. That fleet size will likely grow with the addition of these four new cities, but don’t expect it to balloon immediately.
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