Waymo Co-CEO Plans Robotaxi Expansion Across US, London in 2026

Waymo is aggressively scaling its autonomous vehicle services, aiming to offer 1 million trips per week by the end of 2026 across numerous U.S. cities and London, as emphasized by co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana during TechCrunch Disrupt 2025. Mawakana highlighted that Waymo's vehicles are significantly safer than human drivers, citing data that they are five times safer overall and twelve times safer regarding pedestrian safety, while urging other autonomous vehicle companies to be more transparent about their safety records. She criticized competitors for insufficient transparency, which she believes undermines efforts to improve road safety, and noted the importance of accountability amid incidents like a recent investigation following a Waymo vehicle's interaction with a stopped school bus. Waymo's rapid expansion includes partnerships with companies such as Uber, Lyft, and Avis, with Uber integrating Waymo's robotaxis into its app in select markets, although Waymo's growth poses competitive pressure on traditional ride-hailing services. Other autonomous vehicle firms like Tesla, Zoox, and Aurora are at various stages of deployment or testing, with Tesla criticized for limited public safety data on its robotaxi program. Overall, Waymo's focus on scaling safely and transparently aims to set industry standards while reshaping urban mobility with lower operational costs and higher safety benchmarks.