Waymo targets 1 million rides a week by 2026

# Waymo sets a goal of a million rides a week — and plans to reach it within two years

Waymo, an Alphabet unit, has announced an ambitious goal: by the end of 2026, the company's driverless taxis should complete more than a million paid rides a week across the US. Co-chair Tekedra Mawakana made the announcement, sending a strong signal to investors and competitors that autonomous driving is ceasing to be futurology and becoming a scalable business. The figure of a million weekly rides is not just a statistic. It means driverless cars will begin displacing traditional taxis in American cities quickly and competitively enough.

To put the scale in perspective: Waymo already operates in several cities, including San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and, most recently, Seattle. The company is gradually lifting restrictions on operating hours and expanding its geography. But getting from the current level to a million weekly rides requires not only technological progress but also solving administrative, logistical and competitive challenges. Waymo understands this, yet it shows a confidence rare in the self-driving industry, based on real experience with passengers and accumulated safety data.

Waymo's own history is impressive. The company started in 2009 as a Google project and spent more than a decade developing and testing the technology. Unlike many competitors, which promised sooner and delivered later, Waymo stayed quiet for a long time and expanded slowly but methodically. That conservative approach is working. Riders in cities where Waymo operates use the service actively, and the company cites data on high satisfaction and growing demand. Against the backdrop of bankruptcies among other robotaxi players, this position looks especially convincing.

Reaching the target will require speeding up on several fronts at once. First, the number of vehicles in operation must grow sharply, not by dozens but by thousands. Second, Waymo needs to expand into new cities and speed up regulatory approval, which remains a bottleneck for autonomous driving in the US. Third, operating costs must come down: today, carrying a single passenger in a driverless taxi costs significantly more than a traditional Uber or Lyft. Only by reaching economic parity or better will Waymo be able to attract demand at scale.

Waymo's goal is not just ambitious; it threatens to shake up the market. If the company reaches it, driverless rides will make up a significant share of overall urban transport rather than a marginal one. That would have consequences for professional drivers, insurers, traditional automakers and city infrastructure projects. Competitors, including Tesla with its Full Self-Driving, Cruise (despite its current problems), Uber Advanced Technologies Group, and Chinese players such as Baidu and Didi, are watching Waymo's progress closely.

The announced goal demands unwavering funding and flawless safety. One serious accident, and public trust in autonomous driving could collapse. Waymo recognizes this vulnerability and acts accordingly. By 2026 it will become clear whether the optimism was justified or merely a marketing move. But one thing is already clear: the driverless taxi is no longer an experiment and has become a real business with real goals.