Waymo (autonomous taxi company)

Waymo

Waymo

every week / weekly

měi zhōu

每周

to carry passengers

zài kè

载客

to surpass / to break through

tūpò

突破

500,000 rides

50 wàn cì

50万次

，

plan to / intend to

nǐ

拟

to expand

kuòzhǎn

扩展

to

zhì

至

global / worldwide

quánqiú

全球

more than / over

yú

逾

20 cities

20 chéng

20城

。

New Words

News in English

Waymo Reaches 500,000 Weekly Robotaxi Rides as Fleet Expands to Over 20 Cities

Waymo has announced 500,000 weekly paid robotaxi rides, a tenfold increase from two years ago, after completing a $16 billion funding round, with plans to expand its driverless taxi service to more than 20 new cities globally.

Waymo, a subsidiary of Google's parent company Alphabet, announced that its weekly paid autonomous taxi rides have reached 500,000. This figure has grown tenfold compared to two years ago when weekly rides were only 50,000 in May 2024.

Currently, Waymo's driverless taxi service operates in 10 major US cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. In February this year, Waymo completed a $1.6 billion new round of financing, with a valuation of approximately $126 billion. The company plans to expand service to more than 20 new cities globally, including London, UK and Tokyo, Japan.

In the United States, Waymo has been approved to operate in 26 of the top 30 metropolitan areas. According to reports, Waymo's annualized revenue has exceeded $350 million and continues to be in a rapid growth phase. Analysts stated that Waymo's expansion plan signifies that commercialization of driverless taxis is entering a comprehensive development stage.

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