Waymo Targets One Million Weekly Autonomous Trips by 2026

Would you take a robotaxi with less than half the injury crash rate of human drivers?

You’ll soon get that chance as Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company, is on a mission to become the world’s most trusted driver.

Part of this pursuit involves expanding its reach to three additional US cities – San Diego, Detroit and Las Vegas – by 2026.

The company will deploy its new Zeekr-built vehicles alongside the existing Jaguar I-Pace fleet.

Currently operating in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Atlanta and Austin, the autonomous pioneer has already completed more than 10 million fully driverless rides.

Tekedra Mawakana, CEO of Waymo, says that the company now facilitates hundreds of thousands of fully autonomous trips each week and anticipates significant growth ahead.

“By the end of 2026 you should expect us to be offering one million trips per week.”

Where is Waymo now and how did it get here?

Waymo – a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google’s parent company – was founded in 2009 and is widely recognised as the leading autonomous vehicle provider globally.

The AI-driven robotaxi leader recently announced its expansion into London, with public service launches planned for 2026.

Waymo has also revealed that its robotaxis have undergone extensive snow testing, supported by data collected across years of winter driving conditions.

Earlier this year, the company began manual testing in Japan, advancing its global growth strategy.

The company has demonstrated its versatility across diverse applications through its recent partnership with DoorDash, enabling seamless and efficient food delivery.

“We are excited to make everyday errands easier with the Waymo Driver, offering the added peace of mind that comes with our safe and reliable technology," says Nicole Gavel, Head of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at Waymo.

“Through our partnership with DoorDash, we leverage our proven delivery experience to provide customers with a seamless, contact-free way to get items they need, whether it’s groceries or a quick bite.”

Waymo AI Driver and 6th-gen hardware: How does Waymo work?

Before Waymo launches services in a new region, its routes are manually driven to collect data and map every street in precise detail.

This process removes reliance on external data sources like GPS, which can be inconsistent due to variable signal strength.

Manual testing also enables the Waymo Driver to learn directly from skilled human drivers, capturing nuanced insights about each local roadway.

Waymo’s sixth-generation hardware features an advanced sensor suite, including 13 cameras, four lidars, six radars and multiple External Audio Receivers (EARs).

This enables the Waymo Driver to see and hear in every direction, both day and night, with overlapping visual coverage extending up to 500 metres.

Data collected by the sensors is processed through the Waymo Driver’s perception system, which uses AI to interpret its surroundings in real time.

With more than 20 million miles of real-world driving data and in excess of 20 billion simulated miles, the Waymo Driver applies AI to anticipate the movement of objects on the road.

The system predicts multiple potential trajectories for each object and determines the safest and most efficient path for itself.

Amid strong competition from Tesla’s robotaxis and Amazon’s Zoox, Waymo continues to lead the driverless mobility race.