
Waymo, an autonomous ride-hailing service, plans to start operating in Dallas in 2026. The company currently runs cars without human drivers in five other cities including Austin.
In announcing the expansion to Dallas, Waymo said the city has a "vibrant downtown and bustling metro area well suited for our 24/7 autonomous ride-hailing service."
"We look forward to bringing our fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the people of Dallas next year, offering a new era of safe and seamless transportation," Waymo Co-Chief Executive Officer Tekedra Mawakana wrote in a statement. "Working together with our fleet partner Avis, Waymo will offer more riders a stress-free way to get around."
In Austin, Waymo covers 90 square miles. Riders there can hail a car through Uber. In Dallas, users will call for a ride using the Waymo app.
Waymo says it will work with Dallas on its goal to eliminate traffic deaths and cut crashes with severe injuries by 50% by 2030. Through March, Waymo says its cars have turned 71 million miles without a driver with 88% fewer crashes with serious injuries or death and 79% fewer airbag deployments "compared to an average human driver over the same distance." Waymo says its cars have had 28 fewer crashes with pedestrians, a 93% drop.
A complete rundown is available at https://waymo.com/safety/.
Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ended a 14-month investigation of Waymo without taking any action. The investigation followed 22 reports of "unexpected behavior." NHTSA says Waymo issued two recalls to update software to reduce the risk of collisions with "clearly visible objects that a competent driver would be expected to avoid."