There are more Waymo robotaxis driving around Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles than ever. More and more people are opting for rides with the Alphabet-owned company, with over 50,000 paid trips booked each week across these three cities. Waymo One operates non-stop in select areas of these urban centres, providing round-the-clock service. With a weekly tally of 50,000 rides, that breaks down to an average of 300 bookings per hour or five bookings every minute. Additionally, Waymo has surpassed one million rider-only trips across four cities, including Austin, where it’s currently offering limited rides to specific members of the public.
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In its announcement, Waymo attributed its achievement to its methodical and safety-focused approach to expanding its program. “We witness individuals from diverse backgrounds using our service to travel stress-free, gain mobility, reclaim their daily commutes, and more. Fully autonomous ride-hailing is no longer just a vision; it’s a preferred means of transportation for countless individuals navigating their cities daily,” the company stated.
Our safe and deliberate approach to scaling the Waymo Driver is gaining traction, as we’re now serving more than 50,000 paid trips every week across three major cities. Thank you to our riders for trusting us to get you to your destinations safely and reliably. pic.twitter.com/g0ws4QnV7v
— Waymo (@Waymo) May 9, 2024
While Waymo appears to be outperforming Cruise, which recently resumed deploying some of its autonomous vehicles after a hiatus, it hasn’t been without its share of controversies. In April, six Waymo robotaxis caused a traffic snarl on a San Francisco freeway, one of several instances where the company’s vehicles impeded traffic flow. Earlier this year, two Waymo vehicles collided with the same pickup truck in quick succession due to erroneous predictions by their software regarding the truck’s future movements. Following the incident, the company issued a software recall to rectify the problem and prevent similar occurrences in the future.
