Waymo plots Dallas robotaxi launch, stays ahead of Tesla in Texas turf war
(2025/07/29)
- Reference: 1753810148
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/07/29/waymo_to_expand_dallas/
- Source link:
With Tesla horning in on its Texas territory, robotaxi outfit Waymo has decided to expand to a new city in the Lone Star state: Dallas.
Waymo [1]announced on Monday that it will launch the venture next year in partnership with car rental outfit Avis Budget Group. Avis will manage all Waymo vehicles in Dallas, with the agency handling "end to end fleet management services, including infrastructure, vehicle readiness, maintenance and general depot operations."
Waymo said that using Avis as a fleet management partner will help it scale more quickly. However, the Google spinoff declined to provide specifics on where else it and Avis may expand.
[2]
A Waymo spokesperson pointed out to us that Avis isn't the company's only operations partner. Its fleets in Phoenix and Miami are managed in partnership with Moove, while Uber handles its fleets in Austin and Atlanta.
[3]
[4]
"We're in constant dialogue with partners spanning infrastructure, fleet management, automotive manufacturing, community advocacy, network operators, and more," the spokesperson told us in an email. "We'll continue to grow the autonomous vehicle partnership ecosystem we've built."
Waymo declined to tell The Register which specific areas of Dallas would get service, though the spokesperson did say that the downtown area and "a large swath" of nearby areas were currently being tested.
[5]
Waymo's expansion into Dallas and its Avis partnership aren't the only plans it shared in yesterday's statement, either. The company said it will begin service in Miami, Florida, and Washington, DC in 2026. Moove will serve as Waymo's Miami fleet operator, while the company will be managing its own operations in DC, like it does in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Waymo maintains the robotaxi lead with more territory to conquer
There are a few other players in the robotaxi market right now, but none can really hold a candle to Waymo, despite its [6]well - [7]established [8]faults and the [9]widespread [10]hate the vehicles get.
[11]Two big computer vision papers boost prospect of safer self-driving vehicles
[12]Nvidia hits the gas on autonomous vehicle software
[13]China's biggest car rental company now offers autonomous cars
[14]Uber CEO warns robotaxis can't find a fast route to commercial viability
Tesla, which launched a very small-scale robotaxi service in Austin last month, has been shown to perform [15]demonstrably worse than Waymo. The company's robotaxi service is only operating in a small portion of Austin right now. While Tesla is reportedly going to begin offering service in San Francisco [16]as soon as this coming weekend, the outfit has yet to get a driverless testing permit in the state, so it will have to have safety drivers behind the wheel for all trips.
And then there's Amazon's driverless taxi service Zoox, which while still working to roll out its [17]first commercial service in Las Vegas, is already [18]under federal investigation for a pair of motorcycle collisions. It's not growing fast enough to keep up with Waymo by any stretch, as the latter company already operates in six cities and is actively planning expansion into at least three more.
That said, there is room for a larger robotaxi industry in the US, as a number of states have passed laws allowing for their operation. At least [19]21 states , including Texas, Florida, and California, and Washington, DC, have laws on the books allowing for some form of autonomous vehicle deployment. [20]Aside from Waymo and Tesla's existing operations, however, you'll be hard pressed to find a place to hail a robotaxi.
But are robotaxis even safe? Waymo says [21]its data proves the ones using its AI are, but self-driving cars are still [22]notoriously easy to fool . Putting safety aside, with this pace of growth, they'll be coming to a city near you soon enough. ®
Get our [23]Tech Resources
[1] https://waymo.com/blog/2025/07/our-next-city-dallas
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aIlEddyrcYQB0dTHxTcfZgAAAIg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIlEddyrcYQB0dTHxTcfZgAAAIg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aIlEddyrcYQB0dTHxTcfZgAAAIg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIlEddyrcYQB0dTHxTcfZgAAAIg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/14/nhtsa_waymo_investigation/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/12/waymo_software_recall/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/12/waymo_software_recall/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/12/waymo_destroyed_san_francisco/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/09/la_protest_waymo/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/29/computer_vision_nature_self_driving/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/12/nvidia_autonomous_vehicle_platform/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/11/zuchen_baidu_apollo_car_rental/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/06/uber_fy_2024_av_update/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/24/tesla_robotaxi_austin/
[16] https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-robotaxi-bay-area-launch-san-francisco-memo-2025-7
[17] https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/innovation/zoox-headquarters-car-ride
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/13/zoox_nhtsa_rearend_collision/
[19] https://www.motortrend.com/features/state-laws-autonomous-self-driving-driverless-cars-vehicles-legal
[20] https://www.statista.com/chart/33232/cities-with-robotaxis-services-public-trials/
[21] https://waymo.com/safety/
[22] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/07/lowcost_malicious_attacks_on_selfdriving/
[23] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Waymo [1]announced on Monday that it will launch the venture next year in partnership with car rental outfit Avis Budget Group. Avis will manage all Waymo vehicles in Dallas, with the agency handling "end to end fleet management services, including infrastructure, vehicle readiness, maintenance and general depot operations."
Waymo said that using Avis as a fleet management partner will help it scale more quickly. However, the Google spinoff declined to provide specifics on where else it and Avis may expand.
[2]
A Waymo spokesperson pointed out to us that Avis isn't the company's only operations partner. Its fleets in Phoenix and Miami are managed in partnership with Moove, while Uber handles its fleets in Austin and Atlanta.
[3]
[4]
"We're in constant dialogue with partners spanning infrastructure, fleet management, automotive manufacturing, community advocacy, network operators, and more," the spokesperson told us in an email. "We'll continue to grow the autonomous vehicle partnership ecosystem we've built."
Waymo declined to tell The Register which specific areas of Dallas would get service, though the spokesperson did say that the downtown area and "a large swath" of nearby areas were currently being tested.
[5]
Waymo's expansion into Dallas and its Avis partnership aren't the only plans it shared in yesterday's statement, either. The company said it will begin service in Miami, Florida, and Washington, DC in 2026. Moove will serve as Waymo's Miami fleet operator, while the company will be managing its own operations in DC, like it does in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Waymo maintains the robotaxi lead with more territory to conquer
There are a few other players in the robotaxi market right now, but none can really hold a candle to Waymo, despite its [6]well - [7]established [8]faults and the [9]widespread [10]hate the vehicles get.
[11]Two big computer vision papers boost prospect of safer self-driving vehicles
[12]Nvidia hits the gas on autonomous vehicle software
[13]China's biggest car rental company now offers autonomous cars
[14]Uber CEO warns robotaxis can't find a fast route to commercial viability
Tesla, which launched a very small-scale robotaxi service in Austin last month, has been shown to perform [15]demonstrably worse than Waymo. The company's robotaxi service is only operating in a small portion of Austin right now. While Tesla is reportedly going to begin offering service in San Francisco [16]as soon as this coming weekend, the outfit has yet to get a driverless testing permit in the state, so it will have to have safety drivers behind the wheel for all trips.
And then there's Amazon's driverless taxi service Zoox, which while still working to roll out its [17]first commercial service in Las Vegas, is already [18]under federal investigation for a pair of motorcycle collisions. It's not growing fast enough to keep up with Waymo by any stretch, as the latter company already operates in six cities and is actively planning expansion into at least three more.
That said, there is room for a larger robotaxi industry in the US, as a number of states have passed laws allowing for their operation. At least [19]21 states , including Texas, Florida, and California, and Washington, DC, have laws on the books allowing for some form of autonomous vehicle deployment. [20]Aside from Waymo and Tesla's existing operations, however, you'll be hard pressed to find a place to hail a robotaxi.
But are robotaxis even safe? Waymo says [21]its data proves the ones using its AI are, but self-driving cars are still [22]notoriously easy to fool . Putting safety aside, with this pace of growth, they'll be coming to a city near you soon enough. ®
Get our [23]Tech Resources
[1] https://waymo.com/blog/2025/07/our-next-city-dallas
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aIlEddyrcYQB0dTHxTcfZgAAAIg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIlEddyrcYQB0dTHxTcfZgAAAIg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aIlEddyrcYQB0dTHxTcfZgAAAIg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIlEddyrcYQB0dTHxTcfZgAAAIg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/14/nhtsa_waymo_investigation/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/12/waymo_software_recall/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/12/waymo_software_recall/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/12/waymo_destroyed_san_francisco/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/09/la_protest_waymo/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/29/computer_vision_nature_self_driving/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/12/nvidia_autonomous_vehicle_platform/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/11/zuchen_baidu_apollo_car_rental/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/06/uber_fy_2024_av_update/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/24/tesla_robotaxi_austin/
[16] https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-robotaxi-bay-area-launch-san-francisco-memo-2025-7
[17] https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/innovation/zoox-headquarters-car-ride
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/13/zoox_nhtsa_rearend_collision/
[19] https://www.motortrend.com/features/state-laws-autonomous-self-driving-driverless-cars-vehicles-legal
[20] https://www.statista.com/chart/33232/cities-with-robotaxis-services-public-trials/
[21] https://waymo.com/safety/
[22] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/07/lowcost_malicious_attacks_on_selfdriving/
[23] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The difference between Tesla and Waymo is . . .
. . . I have no idea who the CEO of Waymo is. That person is clearly doing hard work in the background, getting the company to iterate through technical problems and gradually improving the reliability and trustworthiness of the Waymo product. They're working with states and cities to get permission to operate and successfully deploying into new markets with fanfare but without drama. The company is clearly executing on its vision in a low-key way that speaks for itself rather than needing an egotistical braggart with a megaphone to promote the brand.