In today’s era, Waymo, also known as the self-driving car, is a subsidiary of Alphabet (Google) and is leading the way with the unique experience it gives to its customers. Once viewed as a futuristic concept, these autonomous cars are now becoming a reality because of the company’s rapid expansion in robotaxi services.
Waymo’s ridership surge
According to MSM Times, Waymo provides its customers with nearly 250,000 weekly trips in 2025, which is a huge jump from 2023 statistics where the weekly rides were around 10,000. This huge jump shows the confidence of the public in autonomous vehicles across cities such as San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin.
Fleet expansion to meet demand
It has been confirmed by Waymo, that by 2026, they will add 2,000 more robotaxis. The verge has reported on this, estimating that this expansion will allow Waymo to grow its robotaxi services and serve different cities more efficiently.
Why fleet expansion matters for urban mobility
With Waymo considering expanding its fleet, it will allow several urban mobility challenges to be addressed such as traffic congestion, air pollution, and affordable transportation. Here are some key points that prove why growth matters:
While Waymo’s fleet expansion could lower costs and offer 24/7 service, challenges like regulations and public trust, however, still remain, as noted by Wizz Cars.
What’s next for Waymo
Wikipedia states that Waymo plans to further expand their robotaxi services into markets like Miami, Washington D.C., Atlanta, and Tokyo. With the growing trend in self-driving autonomous vehicles, partnering with Uber and automakers like Hyundai, Jaguar, and Zeekr will allow Waymo to scale their operations and explore new personal-vehicle models.
The future of autonomous rides
As Waymo continues to expand and evolve in this era, introducing new fleets, and experiencing a growth in ridership, it has become quite prominent that autonomous vehicles are no longer a concept for the future, instead they’re here, and they are ready to change the way we commute.