Waymo has announced plans to launch its robotaxis in Dallas in 2026, extending its outreach in the US states as electric vehicle maker Tesla strives to establish its recently-rolled out autonomous taxis business.
According to robotaxi pioneer’s announcement on Monday, July 28, Waymo will offer ride-hailing services through its app. However, the fleet operations including depot infrastructure and maintenance will be managed by the car rental company Avis Budget Group after a new multi-year partnership.
After years of cautious business growth, Waymo has stepped up efforts to accelerate its expansion. Initially this year, it launched its services in Austin as part of partnership with Uber platform.
Waymo is currently operating in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Atlanta with 250,000 paid trips every week, while Washington D.C. and Miami are mentioned as “coming soon.”
The main driving factor behind Waymor’s efforts to extend its autonomous ride services to other states is Elon Musk’s promise to roll out a fleet of driverless cars nationwide by 2025.
In this backdrop, Tesla launched a limited robotaxi service in Austin which uses Model Y SUVs and a human safety monitor in the front seat.
Another aspiring rival is Amazon that aims to launch robotaxis in Las Vegas later this year as a part of its Zoox self-driving division.
Moreover, Lyft and Uber have also been locked in various partnerships to turn their human-driven vehicles into driverless cars.
Consequently, Waymor is exploring the potential of outreach beyond Dallas in Boston, San Diego, and New York. It is also trying to capitalize on Tokyo as its first robotaxi market.
