Waymo taps Avis to manage the Robotaxi fleet in Dallas

Waymo said he plans to launch the Robotakshi service next year in Dallas, the latest city to add to the growing commercial footprint of Alphabet-owned companies, including Los Angeles and San Francisco.

This time, Waymo is partnering with the Avis Budget Group to manage a fleet of all electric, autonomous Jaguar I-Pace vehicles. Avis handles common depot operations such as charging and maintaining your vehicle. Users can welcome Robotaxi via the Waymo app.

Waymo has previously partnered with other companies Uber in Austin and Atlanta and Phoenix Move. Avis was the first car rental company to help Waymo manage the fleet. And it’s probably a partnership that will extend to other cities in the future.

Waymo spokesman Chris Bonelli said Avis is playing a massive role in helping companies expand their technology into new markets that are faster and more cost-effective. He added that the Waymo and Avis budget groups intend to expand to more cities over time.

Waymo’s close followers may not be surprised by Dallas’ announcement. Earlier this year, Waymo took one of its “road trips” to Dallas, where the company mapped the city using a vehicle equipped with sensors and conducted initial testing. Since then, Waymo has begun testing self-driving cars on public roads behind the wheels by human safety operators. As started in all other cities, Waymo will proceed to a fully autonomous test after further verification on Dallas Street.

Bonelli did not disclose the exact launch date or the number of vehicles in the original Robotaxi fleet. He said Waymo will expand its fleet to hundreds of vehicles with Avis over time.

Brian Choi, CEO of Avis Budget Group, said the partnership is “a pivotal milestone in its evolution, from car rental companies to leading providers of fleet management, infrastructure and operations to the broader mobility ecosystem.”

Today, Waymo operates commercially in five cities: Austin, Atlantathe San Francisco Bay Area, extending to Los Angeles, Phoenix and Silicon Valley. The company plans to launch commercial Robotaxis services in Washington, DC and Miami next year.