Robotaxi services are scaling up in major US cities, with Waymo and Tesla expanding their driverless fleets. Despite lower accident rates per mile compared to human drivers, highly visible incidents are creating regulatory challenges, leading to investigations and potential city restrictions.
The expansion of robotaxi services faces significant hurdles from public perception, regulatory scrutiny, and potential city-level restrictions, impacting the future adoption and integration of autonomous vehicles into urban transportation.
Robotaxi services are entering a scaling phase across major U.S. cities, with companies like Waymo and Tesla expanding their driverless fleets. While autonomous vehicles may have fewer accidents per mile than human drivers, highly visible incidents in real-world conditions are creating significant regulatory and political challenges. Goldman Sachs analysts note that deployments are gaining momentum, with Waymo operating a larger fleet (over 3,800 vehicles) across more cities than Tesla's smaller fleet in Texas (around 42 vehicles). Accident data from July 2025 to April 2026 suggests Tesla robotaxis have an accident every 100,000 to 120,000 miles, while Waymo averages one every 150,000 to 175,000 miles. Despite this, Waymo's app usage growth has slowed year-over-year. Federal safety agencies are investigating Waymo, and cities like New York, Boston, Seattle, and San Francisco are considering restrictions, indicating a growing regulatory headwind for the industry. Tesla is also extending its Austin robotaxi coverage as it pushes forward with its Full Self-Driving system.