Waymo Partners with Avis to Manage Robotaxi Fleet in Dallas

Waymo, the Alphabet subsidiary specializing in autonomous driving, announced that it plans to launch its robotaxi service next year in Dallas, adding another city to its continuously expanding commercial network that currently includes Los Angeles and San Francisco.

This time, Waymo is partnering with Avis Budget Group to manage the fleet of fully electric, autonomous Jaguar I-Pace vehicles. Avis will be responsible for general fleet operations, including charging and maintaining the vehicles. Users will be able to hail a robotaxi through the Waymo app.

Waymo has collaborated with other companies in the past, such as Uber in Austin and Atlanta, and Moove in Phoenix. However, Avis is the first car rental company to contribute to managing Waymo’s fleet—a partnership that seems likely to expand to other cities in the future.

According to Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli, Avis will play a significant role in helping the company expand into new markets faster and more cost-effectively. He added that Waymo and Avis Budget Group plan to continue their joint expansion.

For those closely following Waymo’s moves, the Dallas announcement was not a surprise. Earlier this year, Waymo conducted one of its “road trips” to Dallas, gathering data and conducting initial tests on the city’s streets. Since then, the company has begun public road testing with a human safety driver on board, aiming to ensure their technology is fully reliable before moving to full autonomy on Dallas streets.

Bonelli did not disclose the exact launch date or the initial number of vehicles in the fleet but mentioned that the fleet size would grow with Avis to reach hundreds of vehicles over time.

This collaboration marks, according to Avis Budget Group CEO Brian Choi, “a milestone in the company’s evolution from a traditional car rental company to a leading provider of fleet management, infrastructure, and operations in the new mobility era.”

Currently, Waymo operates commercially in five cities: Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Next year, the company plans to start commercial robotaxi services in Washington, D.C. and Miami.