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Driverless Cars on the Rise: Where to Catch a Robotaxi
24 Dec
Summary
- Robotaxis are operational in seven US cities as of late 2025.
- Waymo, Tesla, and Uber are expanding their driverless services in 2026.
- Some services still require a human safety driver present.
Driverless taxis have officially arrived, with seven US cities offering robotaxi services by late 2025. While some operations still utilize safety drivers, the autonomous vehicle landscape is rapidly evolving. Google-backed Waymo has reported serving over 14 million trips this year alone and is planning international expansion to London.
Uber is also making significant strides through strategic partnerships, viewing robotaxis as a "trillion-dollar-plus" opportunity. Tesla, under Elon Musk's ambitious vision, launched its service in Austin and is testing fully driverless operations, aiming for widespread adoption. By 2026, Waymo and Tesla plan to introduce their services in Miami, Dallas, and Houston.
Further expansion is slated for cities like San Diego, Washington D.C., and Las Vegas, with Tesla set to produce its Cybercab starting April 2026. Uber is also collaborating with VW, Lucid, and Nuro to deploy thousands of autonomous vehicles globally, with a new platform debuting in San Francisco in late 2026.
