Robotaxis are no longer science fiction. In 2025, autonomous vehicles became a real, paid transportation option in major U.S. cities and parts of Asia, with Alphabet’s Waymo leading the charge. Waymo now operates in five U.S. markets—Austin, the San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Los Angeles—and has expanded its service to include teens aged 14 to 17 in Phoenix and freeway routes in key cities. The company reported over 14 million trips in 2025, with projections to exceed 20 million by year-end. Waymo is planning aggressive expansion in 2026, targeting 11 new U.S. cities including Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, San Antonio, San Diego, and Washington, D.C. It also announced plans to launch in London, marking its first international service, and is testing in New York and Tokyo. The company is preparing for harsh weather conditions in northern markets and recently hired a new finance chief as it moves toward potential outside investment. Despite its success, Waymo faces challenges. Safety concerns have emerged, including a fatal incident in San Francisco where a robotaxi struck a cat and another in Los Angeles involving a police standoff. Texas officials reported 19 illegal school bus passes by Waymo vehicles, prompting a software recall. The company maintains its vehicles are designed to be safely assertive and continues to prioritize safety in development. Amazon’s Zoox launched public rides in Las Vegas and select San Francisco neighborhoods in 2025, operating free of charge while awaiting federal approval for commercial service. Its unique, wheel-less, inward-facing vehicles are purpose-built for autonomy. Zoox has deployed 50 robotaxis across the two regions and opened a 220,000-square-foot factory in the Bay Area aiming for 10,000 annual production. However, it has faced setbacks, including software recalls over phantom braking and crashes involving an e-scooter rider and a passenger car. Zoox plans to begin charging in 2026, pending regulatory greenlight. Tesla, long seen as the ultimate disruptor, launched a supervised robotaxi pilot in Austin and the Bay Area under its “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) Rideshare program. The service uses human safety drivers, who are required to take over at any moment. Despite this, a video surfaced in November showing a monitor asleep at the wheel, prompting investigations by the NHTSA and California’s Public Utilities Commission. Tesla has not yet obtained permits for commercial operation in California. The company has been testing driverless operation, with a Model Y spotted on public roads without occupants. The Tesla Robotaxi app has seen 529,000 downloads by December, outpacing Waymo’s app in daily installs, though Waymo’s user base remains larger. Tesla reported seven minor collisions in its FSD pilot by October, with no severe incidents. In China, Baidu’s Apollo Go has emerged as a dominant force, surpassing 250,000 weekly driverless rides in October. It operates in Beijing, Wuhan, and other major cities and is expanding to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Switzerland. A partnership with Lyft will bring Apollo Go to the U.K. and Germany in 2026. The service has completed 17 million ride orders and 240 million kilometers driven, including 140 million fully driverless miles. Pony.ai and WeRide are also making strides. Pony.ai has full permits in Shenzhen and operates in Beijing’s suburbs. WeRide launched in Abu Dhabi with Uber and is active in Riyadh, with plans to expand into Europe. The company operates in Belgium, France, Singapore, and the U.S., managing a fleet of 1,600 autonomous vehicles, including buses and street sweepers. While consumer trust remains mixed—with 66% of U.S. drivers expressing fear of AVs—robotaxi services are gaining traction. As fleets grow and technology improves, the path to widespread adoption is becoming clearer, even as safety, regulation, and public perception continue to shape the industry’s future.