Waymo Clocks 500,000 Paid Trips a Week as Robotaxis Scale Faster Than Predicted

Waymo hit 500,000 paid rides per week—a 10x jump in two years—while expanding to seven new Sun Belt markets. Meanwhile, Baidu's Apollo Go suffered a major system failure in Wuhan that left over 100 robotaxis stranded, highlighting the competitive intensity and safety challenges in the rapidly scaling robotaxi space.