Robotaxi Race: Waymo, Apollo Go, Zoox, Pony and WeRide — 2026-09-25
Waymo is scaling aggressively, expanding its Texas fleet by 49% in the past month as it presses toward its target of one million weekly rides. WeRide won Spain's first national-level L4 license and made Fortune's "Change the World" list, while Tesla's active Austin robotaxi fleet shrank to just 8 vehicles amid a federal Cybercab probe. Uber, feeling the robotaxi squeeze, is betting on its human-driver network as a competitive hedge.
Robotaxi Race: Waymo, Apollo Go, Zoox, Pony and WeRide — 2026-09-25
Top developments
Waymo's fleet scaling fast, Texas up 49%
TechCrunch reported on September 24 that Waymo expanded its fleet in Texas by 49% over the past month, with growth hot spots elsewhere as well. Fleet size is the key gating factor for Waymo's stated goal of one million weekly paid rides by end of 2026 — weekly paid rides were still the most-recent published figure of more than 500,000 as of early September.
WeRide wins Spain's first national L4 license; Fortune recognition
Chinese state-connected media reported on September 22 that WeRide secured Spain's first national-level L4 autonomous passenger-vehicle operating license, a milestone in its move from technical validation to scaled deployment. Two days later, on September 24, WeRide was named to Fortune's "2026 Change the World" list — the only autonomous-driving company on it, alongside Anthropic, Alphabet and BYD. The license strengthens WeRide's European foothold against Waymo's announced 2027-2028 international pushes.
Tesla's Austin fleet drops to 8 vehicles amid federal scrutiny
Electrek reported on September 22 that Tesla's active robotaxi fleet in Austin has fallen back to just 8 vehicles over the past seven days, undercutting the Cybercab launch momentum. Tesla also faces pressure from US safety officials, who reportedly demanded the company explain by September 30 how the steering-wheel- and pedal-free Cybercab complies with federal standards.
Uber doubles down on human drivers as robotaxi pressure mounts
Axios reported on September 23 that Uber is betting billions on a driverless future but believes its army of human drivers is the key to making the transition economics work. Yahoo Finance noted on September 22 that Uber and Lyft stocks have underperformed in 2026 as robotaxi competition revs up. Separately, Uber's early investors are reportedly buying WeRide and Pony.ai stakes while betting on sector consolidation within two years.
Uber commits $10B to autonomous vehicles
Smart Cities Dive reported on September 22 that Uber is making a $10 billion investment in autonomous vehicles as it positions itself as the distribution layer for multiple robotaxi fleets. Uber has already partnered with over 30 AV companies in two years, including 2,000 Pony.ai robotaxis slated for Europe.
Local view
Chinese media is focused on Pony.ai CEO Peng Jun's reflections on a decade of driverless operations in Beijing's Yizhuang district, where Sina noted that unattended robotaxis — including Apollo Go and Pony.ai vehicles — have become normalised street fixtures, and that Pony.ai's seventh-generation robotaxi has reportedly turned per-vehicle operating profit positive in Shenzhen.
In Texas, local outlet Statesman reported that an operator filed the first Texas fatal autonomous-vehicle collision in the federal database after a collision in Dallas — a first-of-its-kind data point for the state's rapidly opening AV market.
Context & numbers
- Waymo weekly paid rides: still the last-published figure of over 500,000, versus its stated goal of 1 million by end of 2026
- Waymo's historical decline in serious-injury crashes: 90% across 127 million autonomous miles
- Tesla active Austin robotaxi fleet: 8 vehicles as of September 22
- Uber AV partnerships: over 30 AV companies; Pony.ai Europe plan: 2,000 robotaxis
On the radar
- September 30: NHTSA's reported deadline for Tesla to explain Cybercab compliance with federal standards.
- Firefighter-response friction: Tesla issuing complicated incident instructions to fire departments, and an empty Waymo blocking an Austin fire truck (September 19) — expect municipal first-responder rules to tighten.
- Waymo vs Zoox head-to-head in Las Vegas is drawing analyst attention as Amazon's Zoox defends its home turf.
- Rumor watch: Uber early investor speculation of industry-wide robotaxi M&A within two years should be treated as investor commentary, not confirmed dealmaking.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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