Alphabet’s self-driving unit, Waymo, launched its robotaxi service for public passengers in four new cities on Tuesday. The expansion into Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando cements the company’s lead in the North American race for driverless rides. With these additions, Waymo now operates in 10 major U.S. markets.
The company aims to secure loyal customers before rivals like Tesla and Amazon’s Zoox can catch up. This push matters because public trust is still shaky. A recent survey showed that six out of 10 American drivers still fear autonomous vehicles. Waymo hopes that getting people into the back seat will change those minds before competitors launch their own services.
For now, the service isn’t open to just anyone. Waymo says “select riders” in these cities who have the app will get invites to take their first trips. The plan is to add more passengers continuously, with a goal of opening the service to the general public in these markets by the end of 2026. The new fleets will use Jaguar I-PACE electric cars equipped with Waymo’s fifth-generation driver system.
This growth follows a massive cash injection. In February, Waymo announced a fresh $16 billion funding round that valued the company at $126 billion. The service is already busy, boasting over 400,000 paid trips every week across the country and a total fleet of just over 3,000 autonomous vehicles.
However, the expansion comes with scrutiny. Federal safety regulators are currently investigating how Waymo’s cars behave around school buses. Additionally, lawmakers like Senator Edward Markey are demanding transparency about how often human “remote assistants” have to step in to help the cars navigate tricky situations. Despite these hurdles, Waymo is pressing the gas pedal on its national rollout to stay ahead of the competition.
