Remember Total Recall’s Johnny Cabs? Those creepy little self-driving taxis with the friendly but slightly off-animatronic driver? Well, it turns out the future is now – minus the creepy plastic cabbie – and Waymo is ensuring it gets there first, map in hand and pedal to the metal.
Waymo, Alphabet’s (GOOG) (GOOGL) self-driving company, just announced plans to launch its fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Washington, D.C. The company already runs more than 200,000 paid weekly rides in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin. That’s not a beta test either, it’s a full robotaxi revolution. Over 4 million paid trips were logged in 2024 alone, and Waymo isn’t slowing down. Before D.C., it’ll launch in Miami and Atlanta.
Waymo Sees Its Competitors Through the Rear-View Mirror
Now, D.C. isn’t just any city, it’s the power center of federal regulations and policymakers. Getting fully autonomous cars on the streets here means playing by the rules or helping rewrite them. Waymo says it’s working closely with local lawmakers to lay the legal groundwork because the law in Washington still expects someone behind the wheel right now. Maybe even Johnny Cab would have been sufficient.
This isn’t just about cool tech; it’s about being first and dominating the urban mobility game, and Waymo’s miles ahead of the pack. While Tesla (TSLA) is still teaching its cars how to see with cameras, and General Motors’s (GM) Cruise is putting robotaxis on ice to focus on driver-assist features, Waymo’s out there making money and mapping cities.
China’s Baidu (BIDU) is also making big moves, mostly within its borders. Meanwhile, Aurora (AUR) is aiming for self-driving trucks, not passenger cars. When it comes to scaling fully autonomous ride-hailing, Waymo is in a league of its own.
Alphabet Sees the Potential
And behind all of this? Alphabet, Google’s parent company. Last year, it pumped $5.6 billion into Waymo not just to show off and sprinkle sci-fi magic dust, but because it sees robotaxis as a real, scalable business. This isn’t some far-off moonshot anymore; it’s Alphabet’s most grounded futuristic play.
Of course, there’ve been some bumps in the road: a few fender benders, recalls, and a federal investigation. But Waymo claims that over 50 million rider-only miles, its cars have been in 81% fewer injury-causing crashes than human drivers. In other words, Johnny Cab might actually be safer than your girlfriend’s brother, Duane Hall, behind the wheel.
Tipranks’ Comparison Tool
Using Tipranks’ comparison tool, we’ve compared publicly traded companies with a stake in the autonomous vehicle industry. This chart helps us gain a broader perspective on each company and the autonomous sector as a whole.
