Waymo “now provides 400,000 robotaxi rides per week, up from 200,000 around this time last year. That number will likely grow even more this year, with the company planning to expand operations to more than 20 new cities,” reports The Doomslayer.
Waymo says:
Today, Waymo enters a new era. We have raised a $16 billion investment round valuing the company at $126 billion post-money. This capital underscores that the age of autonomous mobility at scale has arrived….This milestone is built on a foundation of safety that is now statistically superior to human driving. Across 127 million miles of fully autonomous operation—the equivalent of going to the moon and back over 260 times—we have achieved a 90% reduction in serious injury crashes. This is the direct result of a driver that is never affected by the leading causes of road tragedy, including distraction, impairment, and fatigue.
This safety record has fueled a year of extraordinary growth; in 2025 alone, we more than tripled our annual volume to 15 million rides, surpassing 20 million lifetime rides to date. We are no longer proving a concept; we are scaling a commercial reality, laying the groundwork for ride-hailing operations in over 20 additional cities in 2026, including Tokyo and London. Today, with more than 400,000 rides provided every week across six major U.S. metropolitan areas, we have demonstrated that our technology is not just the most advanced manifestation of AI in the physical world, but a vital service that people have come to rely on in their daily lives.
This infusion of capital will ensure we are positioned to move forward with unprecedented velocity, while maintaining our industry-leading safety standards. Our focus is now on global scale, bringing the safety and magic of the Waymo Driver to even more cities this year across the United States and internationally. From our recent launch in Miami to the new markets ahead, we are expanding our fleet and our world-class team to meet an exploding global demand for autonomous mobility…”We’re excited to partner with Tekedra, Dmitri and team as they expand the magic of the Waymo Driver to 20 additional cities and beyond.”
“Waymo has brought autonomous driving from science fiction to reality. It’s saving lives already, with significantly fewer serious injury crashes compared to human drivers. As it scales in 2026 and beyond, Waymo will boost productivity and accessibility for millions while improving road safety worldwide,” said Saurabh Gupta, co-founder of DST Global. “Autonomous driving, led by Waymo, will have a profound impact on how we live and work, including reimagining cities”
The New York Times says this “infusion of money could put Waymo further ahead in the growing field of robot taxi companies, such as Amazon’s Zoox and Elon Musk’s fledgling Tesla robot taxi service. Ride-hailing services such as Lyft and Uber have also struck partnerships with autonomous vehicle companies, including Waymo, to offer driverless rides.”
