Waymo and Uber End Phoenix Robotaxi Pilot; Waymo Expands to New US Cities
Waymo and Uber ended their limited robotaxi pilot in Phoenix, Arizona, with the vehicles shifting to DoorDash deliveries. Uber called it a learning experience that helped scale services in Austin and Atlanta, where hundreds of Waymo vehicles operate exclusively on Uber’s platform. Meanwhile, Waymo announced expansion into four new U.S. cities—San Diego, Las Vegas, Tampa, and Denver—and plans international service in London. The moves highlight Waymo’s lead over rivals like Tesla and Zoox in the autonomous vehicle market.
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Waymo to Launch Driverless Rides in Four New US Cities as Expansion Accelerates
Waymo, Alphabet's robotaxi division, announced it will begin offering fully autonomous rides in four new US cities: San Diego, Las Vegas, Tampa, and Denver. The rollout will start with Alphabet employees in the coming weeks before expanding to the public. This expansion builds on Waymo's significant lead in the US robotaxi market over rivals Tesla and Amazon-owned Zoox, which are also slowly entering new cities. Waymo currently operates in over 10 US cities with a fleet of about 4,000 robotaxis. The company faces challenges as its fleet grows, including vehicles driving into flooded roadways and battery failures during the Fourth of July celebrations. Waymo raised $16 billion in February and plans to launch its first international service in London later this year, aiming for 1 million weekly trips by year-end.
US Top News and AnalysisWaymo starts driverless rides in four more U.S. markets as expansion accelerates
Waymo, Alphabet's robotaxi division, announced it will begin offering fully autonomous rides in four new U.S. cities: San Diego, Las Vegas, Tampa, and Denver. The rollout will start with Alphabet employees in the coming weeks, followed by public access. This expansion builds on Waymo's lead over rivals Tesla and Zoox in the nascent U.S. robotaxi market. Waymo currently operates in over 10 cities with a fleet of about 4,000 robotaxis. The company faces challenges including vehicles driving into flooded roadways and battery failures during traffic jams. Waymo raised $16 billion in February and plans to launch its first international service in London later this year, aiming for 1 million weekly trips by year-end.
US Top News and AnalysisWaymo and Uber end Phoenix robotaxi pilot, shift to exclusive markets and new partnerships
Uber and Waymo confirmed the end of their robotaxi pilot in Phoenix, Arizona, framed by both companies as a graduation rather than a failure. The pilot was intentionally limited to about a dozen vehicles, and the vehicles will now pivot to autonomous deliveries via DoorDash. The partnership remains exclusive in Austin and Atlanta, where hundreds of Waymo vehicles operate on Uber's platform. In nine other markets, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, Waymo is accessed through its own app. Uber plans to partner with a different AV company in Phoenix, reflecting CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's strategy of diversifying across multiple autonomous vehicle developers rather than relying on a single partner. Uber reported strong Q1 2026 financial results with 25% gross bookings growth to $53.7 billion, driven by 20% trip growth.
Yahoo FinanceWaymo and Uber End Robotaxi Pilot in Phoenix; Vehicles Shift to DoorDash Deliveries
Waymo and Uber have ended their robotaxi pilot program in Phoenix, Arizona, which was limited to about a dozen vehicles. Uber stated that the pilot informed its successful scaling of autonomous vehicle (AV) services in Austin and Atlanta, where hundreds of Waymo vehicles now operate exclusively on the Uber platform. The Phoenix fleet will remain in the city and transition to making autonomous deliveries for DoorDash, a competitor to Uber Eats. The end of the pilot raises questions about Uber's strategy to become the dominant platform for robotaxi services, with partnerships across most major AV developers except Tesla. Waymo, which operates roughly 4,000 AVs in the US, plans to offer rides via Lyft in Nashville later this year. Meanwhile, Tesla has a fledgling service with 69 registered AVs in Texas, and Amazon-owned Zoox aims to expand testing to Phoenix. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi reported that AV trips on Uber grew tenfold year-over-year, with expansion into eight cities and plans for up to 15 by year-end.
US Top News and AnalysisWaymo and Uber end robotaxi pilot in Phoenix; Waymo vehicles to shift to DoorDash deliveries
Alphabet-owned Waymo and Uber have ended their robotaxi pilot program in Phoenix, Arizona, which was limited to just over a dozen vehicles. The Waymo vehicles deployed for the pilot will remain in use in Phoenix and will now perform autonomous deliveries for DoorDash, a competitor to Uber Eats. Uber stated the Phoenix pilot was a learning experience that helped scale operations in Austin and Atlanta, where hundreds of Waymo vehicles are available exclusively via Uber. Waymo operates a fleet of about 4,000 automated vehicles in the U.S. and offers rides in nine other cities primarily through its own app. The company also plans to offer robotaxi rides through Lyft in Nashville later this year. The end of the pilot raises questions about Uber's dominance in the future robotaxi market, especially as Tesla launches a limited robotaxi service in Texas with only 69 registered vehicles.
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