New data reveals Alphabet's autonomous driving unit has nearly doubled its ridership in under a year, signaling a major shift in the mass adoption of driverless technology.
SAN FRANCISCO - The race for autonomous vehicle dominance has reached a critical inflection point. As of early December 2025, Waymo, the self-driving unit owned by Alphabet, has officially crossed the threshold of 450,000 paid rides per week. This milestone, revealed in an investor letter from Tiger Global and verified by multiple industry reports, underscores a dramatic acceleration in consumer adoption and operational scale that places the company significantly ahead of its nearest competitors, including Tesla.
The data indicates that Waymo is no longer a localized experiment but a burgeoning commercial giant. With an annualized run rate now approaching 20 million trips, the service has transitioned from a novelty to a critical infrastructure layer in major U.S. markets. This surge represents nearly a doubling of its volume since the spring of 2025, signaling that the technological and psychological barriers to driverless mobility are crumbling faster than anticipated.
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To understand the magnitude of this achievement, one must look at the velocity of Waymo's expansion over the last 18 months. The trajectory has been nothing short of vertical.
In May 2024, the company was facilitating roughly 50,000 paid rides per week. By October 2024, that number had tripled to 150,000, with the fleet logging over one million fully autonomous miles every week. The momentum continued into 2025, with Alphabet reporting in April that ridership had swelled to 250,000 weekly trips. Now, just eight months later, that figure has nearly doubled again to 450,000.
"In less than a year, the company has nearly doubled that figure, signaling accelerating consumer comfort and demand for driverless mobility," reports TechStory.
This growth has been fueled by aggressive expansion in key territories. While initially concentrated in Phoenix and San Francisco, the service has successfully scaled operations in Los Angeles and Austin, Texas. The ability to replicate safety and service metrics across diverse urban environments has been a key differentiator for Waymo.
For years, the narrative surrounding autonomous vehicles (AVs) focused on the immense capital expenditure required to develop the technology. Alphabet has poured estimated billions into the project, with a notable $5.6 billion investment round occurring as recently as late 2024. However, the current figures suggest a pivot toward commercial viability.
With a run rate of approximately 64,000 rides a day, Waymo is beginning to generate significant revenue streams that go beyond pilot programs. According to the investor letter from Tiger Global, these "scale numbers" are a primary indicator that the unit is maturing into a genuine business. While profitability remains the long-term horizon, the revenue generation capability of the fleet is now undeniable.
The milestone inevitably draws comparisons to Tesla, the other major player vying for the robotaxi crown. While Tesla has garnered immense attention for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta capabilities and ambitious timelines, Waymo's approach-relying on a comprehensive sensor suite including LiDAR and high-definition mapping-has delivered a fully driverless commercial product first.
Industry analysts note that while Tesla possesses a massive fleet of data-gathering vehicles, Waymo has captured the actual ride-hailing market. The "widening lead" described in recent financial reports refers not just to technology, but to regulatory approval, public trust, and operational logistics. Waymo is charging passengers for 450,000 rides a week; its competitors are largely still in the testing or supervised driving phase.
The sheer volume of rides suggests a normalization of AV technology. Users in operational markets are no longer treating robotaxis as a science fiction experiment but as a standard commuting option. This shift is critical for the political landscape, as regulators look to ride data to inform future safety standards.
Looking ahead, the growth curve shows no signs of flattening. Observers on platforms like Reddit and industry forums have projected that if the current doubling rate continues every two years (or faster, as recent data suggests), Waymo could surpass 1 million weekly rides by the end of 2026. With Alphabet continuing to capitalize the venture and expansion planned for new metropolitan areas, 2026 may well be the year the robotaxi goes truly mainstream.
As the technology matures, the conversation is shifting from "does it work?" to "how fast can it scale?" For now, Waymo has answered both questions with a resounding 450,000 weekly proofs of concept.
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