Waymo Robotaxi Growth: Investor Letter Reveals Surge in Rides

Waymo's Rapid Expansion of Robotaxi Services

Half a year ago, Waymo announced it was completing 250,000 robotaxi rides each week across its operational zones. These areas encompass cities like Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area, with the service continually expanding.

Since then, the Alphabet-owned self-driving company has remained reserved regarding specific figures, only indicating a substantial increase to "many hundreds of thousands" of weekly trips. Recent information, obtained from a leaked letter from Tiger Global Management to its investors – initially reported by CNBC – now provides a more precise understanding of these numbers.

Investment Gains Highlight Waymo's Growth

The letter served as a request for investment in Tiger Global’s upcoming venture capital fund, showcasing the successes of its current fund. A significant portion of these gains is attributed to investments in leading companies, including OpenAI, Databricks, and notably, Waymo.

According to the disclosed information, Waymo is currently facilitating 450,000 robotaxi rides weekly. This represents almost a doubling of the figures reported earlier this year.

Future Expansion Plans

Further growth is anticipated as the company pursues its ambitious expansion strategy. Currently offering commercial robotaxi service in five cities, Waymo has revealed plans to extend its reach to 12 additional cities by 2026.

These planned locations include major metropolitan areas such as Dallas, Denver, Houston, Nashville, and San Diego.

A representative from Waymo declined to provide an official statement on the matter.