Robotaxi operator Waymo is now serving over 150,000 paid rides every week, Alphabet Inc. GOOG GOOGL CEO Sundar Pichai said on Tuesday.
What Happened: In the second half of August, Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana revealed that the company is now providing over 100,000 paid robotaxi rides every week, implying that the company has added 50,000 rides per week in just about two months.
“Through its expanded network and operations partnership with Uber in Austin and Atlanta, plus a new multiyear partnership with Hyundai, Waymo will bring fully autonomous driving to more people and places,” Pichai said. “Waymo is now a clear technical leader within the autonomous vehicle industry and creating a growing commercial opportunity.”
The autonomous ride-hailing company is now planning to increase its geographic coverage while also increasing customers in existing markets, Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler said.
Waymo currently operates its robotaxis in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
The company also plans to operate its robotaxis in Austin and Atlanta starting in 2025 as part of its partnership with Uber.
Why It Matters: Last week, Waymo said that it closed an oversubscribed investment round of $5.6 billion led by its parent Alphabet to expand its robotaxi service in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.
Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity, Perry Creek, Silver Lake, Tiger Global, and T. Rowe Price participated in the investment round, the company said.
In July, Alphabet also committed to a multiyear investment of $5 billion into Waymo to help the company "continue to build the world's leading autonomous driving technology company."
Check out more of Benzinga's Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.
Read Next:
Photo courtesy: Waymo
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Comments
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
