Waymo has expanded its commercial robotaxi service from three U.S. cities in September 2024 to 15 today, while paid rides have reached about 500,000 per week. Despite that geographic growth, about 80% of its roughly 4,000 robotaxis are concentrated in California and Texas.
Texas has become one of Waymo’s fastest-growing markets. As of September 24, the company had 1,102 autonomous vehicles registered in the state, up 49% in three weeks, according to state registrations analyzed with data from the Texas Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Tracker.
Texas Fleet Grows as Ojai Arrives
Waymo entered commercial service in Austin through an Uber partnership in March 2025 before expanding to Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Its Texas fleet increased gradually from about 600 vehicles in June to more than 700 by the end of August, before rising sharply in September.
Much of that recent growth comes from Ojai, Waymo’s modified version of the Zeekr RT minivan. Ojai vehicles now account for about one-third of the company’s Texas fleet.
Waymo introduced the vehicle to public riders earlier this year in its official Ojai announcement. It uses Waymo’s sixth-generation self-driving system and includes a more durable interior, updated rider controls and Google’s Gemini AI as an in-car assistant.
The base vehicle is built by Zeekr, a brand owned by China’s Geely Holding Group, using its SEA-M platform. Vehicles are shipped to the U.S. without Chinese connected-car technology before being sent to Waymo’s Mesa, Arizona facility, where the autonomous driving hardware and software are installed.
Tariffs Raise the Cost of Waymo’s New Robotaxi
Waymo intends Ojai to support larger-scale deployments while lowering vehicle and operating costs. However, current U.S. tariffs on vehicles manufactured in China increase the cost of every unit imported into the country.
Research firm MoffettNathanson, which tracks shipments using import records, estimates Waymo is on course to bring about 5,100 Ojai vehicles into the U.S. by the end of 2026. The company has already said Las Vegas, Denver and San Diego will use fleets in which Ojai represents the majority of vehicles.
California and Texas together currently account for about 3,200 of Waymo’s estimated 4,000 robotaxis. The remaining roughly 800 vehicles are distributed among its other markets, including Arizona, Florida, Colorado, Nevada and Tennessee.
Waymo says its service now provides more than half a million paid autonomous trips each week. The company continues adding vehicles as it expands existing service areas and opens commercial operations in additional cities.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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