Self-driving has arrived: the rapid rise of Waymo
The long-awaited self-driving cars of the future are here to stay.
Waymo, the autonomous driving division of Google’s parent company Alphabet, is rapidly expanding its commercial ride-hailing business. In 2024, the company provided over four million fully autonomous rides, bringing its total ride count to more than five million since launch.
But is riding with Waymo a novelty or a growing preference? We looked at the Ramp dataset to see if travelers are all-in on autonomous rides. And although Waymo is still only available in select cities, the growth is staggering.
From May 2023 to April 2025, Waymo ride transactions increased by nearly 11,000%. The growth was generally steady, with a dip over the holiday season likely due to reduced usage by business professionals.
The evolution of Waymo
Waymo began rolling out its operations in 2018, using test riders and waitlists in select cities. Now, the public can request a ride 24/7 via the Waymo One app in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. Waymo rides are also available in Austin through the Uber app.
Here’s how Waymo got to where it is now.
2018
Waymo launches Waymo One, the world’s first commercial autonomous ride-hailing service, in the Phoenix East Valley (including Chandler, Tempe, and Mesa), with safety drivers on board.
2020
Waymo begins offering fully driverless rides to the public in parts of the Phoenix metro area, removing the backup safety driver for select trips.
2021
Waymo opens its waitlist for San Francisco in August, initially offering rides to pre-approved "trusted testers."
2023
Waymo combines its Downtown Phoenix and East Valley territories and adds Scottsdale, creating a 180-square-mile service area.
2024
March – Waymo begins offering rides to select members of the public in Los Angeles, starting with a 63-square-mile area from Santa Monica to Downtown LA.
June – Waymo removes the waitlist in San Francisco, granting open public access to autonomous rides within city limits.
August – Service expands to parts of the SF Peninsula, including Daly City and Colma, growing its Bay Area reach.
November – The waitlist is lifted in Los Angeles, allowing the public to ride freely within a 90-square-mile service area spanning Santa Monica, Hollywood, and Downtown LA.
December – Waymo begins offering autonomous rides in Austin, Texas, and partners with Uber. By early 2025, Waymo vehicles account for 20% of Uber trips in the city, outperforming most human drivers in trip volume.
2025
March – Waymo expands into the Silicon Valley, bringing service to major tech hubs including Mountain View, Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Sunnyvale.
April – Waymo begins testing autonomous vehicles in Tokyo, Japan.
May – Waymo announces plans to expand to Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, D.C. by 2026, and breaks ground on a new factory in Mesa, Arizona, to support vehicle production and fleet scaling.
What’s next for the world of robotaxis
Waymo remains the frontrunner in autonomous ride-hailing, though others are experimenting in the space with varying degrees of success.
GM-backed Cruise, an early Waymo competitor, suspended operations in late 2023 following a high-profile safety incident. Apple reportedly shut down its long-rumored car project in early 2024 before launching a vehicle.
Meanwhile, Amazon-owned Zoox is testing purpose-built vehicles without steering wheels or pedals, and announced plans to launch them publicly in Las Vegas and San Francisco later this year.
Tesla announced it will launch a robotaxi service in Austin this summer and will begin producing custom “Cybercabs” next year. Currently, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) operates only in privately owned vehicles and requires active driver supervision. U.S. auto safety regulators have requested more information from Tesla about the robotaxi FSD software.
One thing’s clear: driverless cars are no longer a thing of the far-distant future. Real people are choosing to take self-driving rides every day. Little by little, Waymo is going mainstream.