Waymo to begin passenger rides in its new Ojai robotaxi
Waymo to begin passenger rides in its new Ojai robotaxi

After several months of testing, Waymo is finally ready to invite non-employee passengers into its newest vehicle, the Zeekr RT minivan, which has been rebranded as Ojai. Waymo says it will begin offering “select riders” access in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, before “gradually” expanding to more riders and cities. Trips will be free […]

Tesla ‘Robotaxi’ fleet is actually shrinking, not growing, new data shows
Tesla ‘Robotaxi’ fleet is actually shrinking, not growing, new data shows

Less than a month after we reported that Tesla’s unsupervised “Robotaxi” fleet was finally showing some signs of growth, new data from the Robotaxi Tracker tells a different story. The fleet is actually shrinking.

The number of active unsupervised T…

TechCrunch Mobility: Robotaxi reality check

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation.

Waymo suspends freeway driving amid safety concerns
Waymo suspends freeway driving amid safety concerns

On Thursday, Waymo customers opened up the app and noticed something unusual: no more freeway service. Trips that would normally take a few minutes on the freeway were suddenly projected to last much longer via local roads. The company later confirmed that it had suspended freeway driving across all of its US markets over concerns […]

Waymo halts freeway rides after robotaxis struggle in construction zones

The service suspension comes as Waymo has also paused operations in Atlanta and San Antonio after its robotaxis drove into flooded streets.

Waymo expands pause to four cities as robotaxis keep driving into floods

Waymo’s robotaxi service is now suspended in both Atlanta and San Antonio, as the company works to stop its vehicles from driving into flooded roads.

Uber turns on Waymo as it pours $10B+ into owning robotaxi alternatives
Uber turns on Waymo as it pours $10B+ into owning robotaxi alternatives

Uber is publicly trashing its robotaxi partner Waymo while simultaneously investing more than $10 billion to build its own autonomous vehicle fleet with Rivian, Lucid, and Nuro.

The ride-hailing giant’s executives have spent the last few months taki…

Waymo expands robotaxi coverage more than 20% — larger than Rhode Island
Waymo expands robotaxi coverage more than 20% — larger than Rhode Island

Waymo announced a major expansion of its autonomous robotaxi service area, growing to over 1,400 square miles across 11 US cities. That’s an estimated 27% increase from its previous coverage and more territory than the entire state of Rhode Island.

Waymo recalls 3,791 robotaxis over flooded road incident, deploying OTA software fix
Waymo recalls 3,791 robotaxis over flooded road incident, deploying OTA software fix

Waymo has filed a voluntary recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) covering 3,791 robotaxis after one of its vehicles drove into a flooded road in San Antonio last month. No one was injured.

The key detail: the recall…

Waymo issues recall to deal with a flooding problem

Waymo has issued a software recall that makes its robotaxis more cautious around flooded areas. A “final remedy” is in the works.