Waymo just hit a milestone that proves autonomous vehicles aren’t just a moonshot anymore—they’re actually working. The Google-owned robotaxi company has grown its weekly paid trips by 10x in less than two years, according to exclusive data reported by TechCrunch. The explosive growth signals that self-driving cars are finally crossing the chasm from experimental tech to mainstream transportation, putting pressure on Uber and traditional ride-hailing services to accelerate their own autonomous strategies.

Waymo is no longer just testing the waters—it’s swimming laps around the competition. The autonomous vehicle company has scaled its weekly paid robotaxi trips by a factor of ten in less than two years, a growth trajectory that dwarfs most transportation startups and suggests the technology has finally reached commercial maturity.

The exclusive data, charted by TechCrunch, captures a remarkable inflection point for the autonomous vehicle industry. While the exact weekly trip numbers weren’t disclosed, the tenfold increase represents the kind of hockey-stick growth that venture capitalists dream about and established players fear. For context, Waymo has been operating commercial robotaxi services in Phoenix since 2020, but this acceleration shows the company has cracked the code on scaling beyond early adopters.

The timing couldn’t be more significant. While competitors like Cruise stumbled through regulatory setbacks and safety concerns in 2023 and 2024, Waymo quietly expanded its operational footprint across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin. The company’s Jaguar I-PACE fleet—and increasingly its custom-built vehicles developed with Geely—are becoming a familiar sight on West Coast streets, no longer novelties but legitimate transportation alternatives.

Uber is watching these numbers closely. The ride-hailing giant has hedged its bets by partnering with multiple autonomous vehicle companies, including a high-profile deal with