Robotaxis are entering a new phase. Driverless cars summoned by app are now carrying passengers in more than a dozen cities worldwide, with activity concentrated in parts of America and China.
The shift is important because these vehicles are moving from data collection and road testing toward everyday public rides. The technology is still facing serious limits, but the direction is clear: larger operators are preparing for more cities, more passengers and more direct competition.
From road tests to passenger trips
Only three years ago, many driverless car services were still learning how to handle public roads. Today, people in certain cities in America or China may see vehicles without drivers dropping off passengers. Some have already taken a robotaxi ride themselves.
That change does not mean the technology is everywhere. It means the industry has crossed a visible threshold. Robotaxis are now a real transport option in selected places, not just a research project or a demonstration.
The basic experience is familiar: passengers summon a car through an app, then ride without a human driver. What makes the moment different is the number of companies now trying to turn that model into a broader service.
China and the US are leading the push
In China, riders in multiple cities can choose among robotaxis operated by Baidu, AutoX, WeRide and Pony AI, among others. These companies are not limiting their ambitions to domestic markets. Some have plans that point toward Singapore, the Middle East and the US.
In the US, driverless cars have been visible on roads for years as companies collected millions of miles of training data. The newer development is that the public has only recently begun riding in them for real.
Waymo, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, is the biggest player in the US industry. After launching its driverless-taxi service in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, the company plans to expand into Austin and Atlanta later this year through its partnership with Uber.
Amazon-owned Zoox is also preparing a public service. It aims to launch its robotaxi service to the public in Las Vegas in 2025, while running trials in San Francisco, Austin and Miami.
Wayve, a UK startup, is also entering the US picture. The company is making the switch to driving on the right as it starts testing its technology in San Francisco.
The roadblocks are still real
The expansion of robotaxis is not happening without conflict. In China, robotaxi rides are so cheap that they have triggered backlash among the country’s 10 million cab drivers. That tension points to a central issue for the sector: if autonomous rides become cheaper and more common, they can disrupt existing transport work.
Safety and trust remain another major challenge. In the US, General Motors’ Cruise halted operations in October 2023 after one of its vehicles struck a pedestrian. GM announced last month that it would stop funding the robotaxi business.
Tesla also faces unresolved hurdles. Before it can carry out its stated plan to introduce unsupervised ride-hailing services in California and Texas in 2025, the company must prove its technology and secure necessary permits.
Those examples show that robotaxis are not advancing in a straight line. Companies can expand in one city while facing regulatory, financial or public-confidence problems in another. The sector’s progress depends not only on vehicle capability, but also on whether passengers, cities and regulators accept the service.
What comes next for robotaxis
The industry is still pressing forward. More passengers are getting their first chance to experience robotaxis, and that exposure may make the technology feel less unfamiliar over time.
The next phase is likely to be defined by expansion and price competition. The biggest players are expected to move into new cities and begin competing more directly on cost.
For passengers, the result could be more opportunities to choose a driverless ride in places where services are approved and operating. For the companies, the challenge is broader: they need to show that robotaxis can work not only as technical systems, but as dependable city services.
That is why this moment matters. Robotaxis are no longer just an idea about the future of transport. In selected cities, they are already part of the street-level reality, even as the industry still has to prove how far and how safely it can scale.