Waymo is expanding its robotaxi service to four new cities in Texas and Florida, bringing its total U.S. market presence to 10. This move is supported by a recent $16 billion funding round and aims to achieve 1 million weekly paid trips by 2026.
Waymo, a pioneer in self-driving technology, is significantly expanding its robotaxi service by launching in four additional cities across Texas and Florida: Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando. This expansion increases its operational territory to 10 major U.S. metropolitan markets. While Waymo typically dispatches its robotaxis through its proprietary app, in Atlanta and Austin, the service is exclusively available via Uber. This strategic growth is a crucial step towards Waymo's ambitious goal of surpassing 1 million weekly paid trips by the end of 2026. The company has also identified eight other target cities for future expansion, including Las Vegas, Washington, Detroit, and Boston, with London being a potential first overseas market. To fuel these expansion plans, Waymo recently secured a substantial $16 billion financial injection, elevating the company's valuation to $126 billion and sparking speculation about a potential spin-off from its parent company, Alphabet. Initially, the robotaxi service in the newly added cities will be rolled out to a limited number of users through its ride-hailing app before becoming widely available to the general public.
