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The robotaxi company Waymo said Tuesday that it is operating more than 100,000 paid trips per week, a major milestone for the driverless car company that has faced a good deal of skepticism from consumers.
Waymo’s co-CEO Tekedra N. Mawakana made the announcement on LinkedIn, saying the company, which is owned by Alphabet (GOOGL), is “building a safer future one ride at a time.” In May, the company was operating 50,000 rides a week.
“Congratulations to the entire Waymo team on this incredible milestone, and thank you to our riders who make this journey possible,” Mawakana wrote.
Alphabet (GOOGL) has gone all-in on the company, pledging up to $5 billion to fund and expand Waymo in July.
Waymo’s cars are currently operating in Phoenix, Austin, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
On Monday, Waymo announced the “6th-generation Waymo Driver,” saying it reduced costs on its latest system and made a roomier vehicle for passengers. It also said its new generation can operate in harsh weather
But the company has faced a good deal of opposition. Regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are investigating more than 20 reports of Waymo cars that either caused crashes or violated safety laws. And many people simply don’t feel comfortable getting in a car without a driver.
Still, Waymo insists it is improving road safety because 94% of crashes in the US involve human error. More than 36,000 people in the U.S. die in car crashes each year, a number the company says it is on a mission to reduce.