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Google’s robotaxi subsidiary Waymo announced Tuesday that it doubled its paid rides per week the past three months, signaling high demand for autonomous taxis even as the company deals with a federal investigation.
According to the company, customers have paid to ride with Waymo 100,000 times per week, doubling the amount of weekly paid rides from the start of the summer.
We’re building a safer future one ride at a time, and I’m thrilled to share that we’ve just surpassed 100k paid trips per week! Congratulations to the entire @Waymo team on this incredible milestone, and thank you to our riders who make this journey possible. pic.twitter.com/hAlid7jVIK
— Tekedra N Mawakana (@TechTekedra) August 20, 2024
The milestone follows news of a significant expansion of operations in San Francisco and Los Angeles, two of the biggest cities where Waymo operates. In June, the company got rid of its waitlist after months of testing, opening service for all customers. The company currently offers customers rides in three cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix.
The company’s recent expansion efforts were followed by news of a $5 billion investment from Waymo’s parent company, Alphabet. The investment will likely go toward improving the company’s footprint in its three cities while expanding its testing procedures.
Waymo is trying to stay competitive as more tech companies announce robotaxi projects. Uber and Tesla have announced plans to launch their own fleets of robotaxis, and existing autonomous taxi companies like Cruise and Zoox are expanding their reach.
Additionally, Waymo is facing a probe by federal regulators looking into over two dozen crashes involving the firm’s robotaxis. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the investigation in May after discovering 31 collisions.
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