Waymo & Expanding Robotaxi Footprint
Waymo is ramping up its autonomous ride-hailing service across more U.S. cities. It is expanding into Seattle and Denver, and has also recently gained permission to run fully driverless rides at San José Airport. Its fleet includes electric vehicles (Jaguar I-PACE and Zeekr EVs) equipped with Waymo’s 5th-and 6th-generation self-driving tech, the latter designed for harsher winter conditions. Seattle’s deployment, in particular, has emphasized understanding local weather and community conditions.
Waymo already operates in several metro areas: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, with paid driverless rides offered to the general public. A new partnership will extend Waymo into Nashville (starting next year) via collaboration with Lyft. Initially, riders there will use Waymo’s own app, but over time the service will also be integrated into the Lyft app. Lyft is investing in fleet-management infrastructure (charging, maintenance) to support Waymo’s vehicles.
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Rideshare Platform: Job Displacement & Strategy
The CEO of a major rideshare company recently acknowledged that autonomous vehicles are likely to displace many human drivers in 10-15 years, calling it “a big, big societal question.” In the nearer term (next 5-7 years), however, he expects human drivers and delivery people will continue to be a large part of the network, as adoption of fully driverless cars ramps up slowly.
To respond to the changing landscape, the company is also expanding into other kinds of gig work—for example, AI/data labeling and processing—as alternative opportunities for workers who might be displaced by automation.
Investment in Self-Driving Tech
Chipmaker Nvidia is in talks to invest around $500 million in UK towards the self-driving car startup Wayve, one of the most ambitious autonomous vehicle firms in Europe. The potential deal underscores Nvidia’s broader strategy of tying its high-performance AI chips to leading AV developers, betting on rapid growth in AI-driven mobility. Wayve specializes in “end-to-end” AI models trained on real-world driving footage, a contrast to rule-based approaches used by competitors. If finalized, the investment would mark one of the largest funding rounds in the global self-driving sector this year.
Airports Testing Driverless Shuttles
UK-based, Aurrigo, is piloting autonomous airport shuttles to streamline ground transport between terminals, parking lots, and gates. These vehicles are designed to cut congestion, lower operating costs, and improve accessibility for travelers with reduced mobility. Trials in Europe and North America are exploring how airports—traditionally high-density traffic environments—can adopt safe and reliable autonomous transport solutions. If successful, these shuttles could become a familiar feature at major international hubs within the decade.
