Waymo is scaling fast. Here’s what the fleet data shows.

Waymo has rapidly expanded its robotaxi operations across the U.S., growing from service in three cities in September 2024 to 15 cities today and averaging about 500,000 paid rides per week. Roughly 80% of its roughly 4,000-vehicle fleet is concentrated in California and Texas, with Texas alone seeing a 49% fleet increase in the past three weeks to 1,102 registered autonomous vehicles as of September 24.

By AI Newsroom· Reviewed by Pranav, Founder & Editor-in-ChiefPublished about 2 hours agoUpdated about 2 hours ago0 views

Waymo is scaling fast. Here’s what the fleet data shows.

Why It Matters

The acceleration highlights Waymo's push to scale commercially by deploying a new, lower-cost minivan platform (branded Ojai) even as import tariffs raise per-vehicle costs. Where Waymo places vehicles will shape early real-world adoption patterns and the economics of large-scale robotaxi operations.

Key Facts

Cities with service: 15 U.S. cities (up from 3 in September 2024)
Weekly ridership: About 500,000 paid robotaxi rides per week
Approximate fleet size: Roughly 4,000 robotaxis
Fleet concentration: About 80% of vehicles are in California and Texas
Texas fleet growth: Increased by 49% in the past three weeks; 1,102 autonomous vehicles registered in Texas as of Sept. 24

Waymo's commercial robotaxi operations have expanded quickly in both reach and usage over the past year. The company has increased its service footprint from three cities in September 2024 to 15 U.S. cities today, and it now logs roughly 500,000 paid robotaxi rides each week. Despite that broad rollout, the fleet itself is heavily concentrated in two states: California and Texas account for about 80% of Waymo's roughly 4,000 autonomous vehicles. Texas has been the clearest recent growth area. State registration records and the Texas Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Tracker show Waymo's vehicle count in Texas rose 49% in the most recent three-week period, reaching 1,102 registered autonomous vehicles as of September 24. Waymo began commercial service in Austin in March 2025 through a partnership with Uber, and has since expanded services to Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. The Texas fleet was relatively stable through the summer — moving from about 600 vehicles in June to just over 700 by late August — before surging in September. A major driver of that surge is Waymo's rollout of a new minivan, branded Ojai, which now comprises about one-third of the company's Texas fleet. The Ojai is a modified Zeekr RT built on Geely's SEA-M platform; base vehicles are shipped from China without Chinese connected-car systems and are then fitted with Waymo's sixth-generation self-driving hardware and software at Waymo's Arizona facility. Waymo positions the Ojai as a vehicle designed for heavy use and mass scaling, with interior and rider-interface upgrades including an in-car assistant powered by Google’s Gemini AI. Even as the Ojai is intended to reduce operational costs, U.S. tariffs on Chinese-built vehicles are increasing import expenses. Research firm MoffettNathanson, using shipping records, reported in September that Waymo is on pace to import about 5,100 Ojai vehicles into the U.S. by year-end, suggesting further deployments beyond Texas — including Florida (where Waymo already operates in three cities) and newer markets like Las Vegas. For now, Waymo appears prepared to absorb the tariff-related costs as it expands the new vehicle into its fleet.