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Dallas will become the second major Texas city where Waymo's
robotaxis, following the company's move into Austin earlier this
year as part of a partnership with ride-hailing leader Uber.
Unlike the Austin driverless rides that must be ordered through
Uber's app, Waymo will deploy its Dallas robotaxis through its
own service and team up with the Avis Budget Group to manage its
fleet there. Waymo hasn't set an exact date in 2026 for when its
robotaxis will begin cruising through Dallas, which joins
Washington D.C. and Miami as cities where the company plans to
expand next year.
Waymo's robotaxis have already provided more than 250,000 trips
in Austin and several other major U.S. cities, including
Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.
As the company continues to expand into new cities, it is
pulling even further ahead from the rest of the pack trying to
launch driverless ride-hailing services.
The aspiring rivals include Tesla, which launched a limited
robotaxi service in Austin last month as a prelude to what CEO
Elon Musk has repeatedly promised will be a nationwide fleet of
driverless cars, even as the automaker faces legal challenges
questioning the capability of its autonomous technology.
Amazon is also aiming to roll out robotaxis in Las Vegas late
this year as part of its Zoox self-driving division. And Uber
and Lyft have been relying on a variety of partnerships to
supplement their fleet of human-driven vehicles with more
driverless options.
While others are still trying to get their robotaxis out of the
starting blocks, it has been nearly five years since Waymo's
driverless ride-hailing service made its debut in Phoenix with a
technology that began as a secret project within Google in 2009.
Waymo spun out from Google in 2016, but the two companies remain
tethered under the same corporate parent, Alphabet Inc.
Waymo is still testing the possibility of bringing its robotaxis
to at least two other Texas cities — Houston and San Antonio —
while also exploring a potential expansion in San Diego, Boston
and New York. It is also eyeing Tokyo as its first robotaxi
market outside the U.S.
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