Waymo Taps Avis to manage the Robotaxi fleet in Dallas

Waymo said it is planning to launch the Robotaxi service next year in Dallas, the latest city to be added to the growing commercial imprint of the alphabet that already includes Los Angeles and San Francisco.

This time, Waymo cooperates with the Avis Budget Group collection to manage its fleet of fully independent Jaguar I-Pace. Avis will deal with public warehouses, including charging and maintaining vehicles. Users will be able to deport from robotics through the Waymo application.

Waymo has made a partnership with other companies before, including Uber in Austin and Atlanta and Moove in Phoenix. Avis is the first car rental company that helps Waymo to manage its fleet. It is a partnership that is likely to extend to other cities in the future.

Waymo Chris Bonley said AVIS will play a big role in helping the company to expand its technology to new markets faster and more effective. He added that the Waymo and Avis budget group intends to expand more cities over time.

Waymo followers may not be surprised by the announcement of the launch of Dallas. Earlier this year, Waymo took one of the so -called “road trips” to Dallas, where the company used its vehicles loaded with sensors to draw a city map and conduct initial tests. Since then, Waymo has started testing its independent cars on public roads with the human safety operator behind the wheel. As in every other city launched, Waymo will be submitted to independent tests as soon as its technology is validated in the streets of Dallas.

Bonelli will not reveal accurate launch dates or the number of vehicles that will be in the first Robotaxi fleet. He said Waymo will expand the fleet range with AVIS for hundreds of vehicles over time.

“The partnership is a pivotal teacher in its development, from a car rental company to a pioneer provider of fleet management, infrastructure and operations to the wider ecosystems.”

Today, Waymo works commercially in five cities: AustinAtlanta, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco Bay area, which extends to the silicon valley. The company plans to launch the Robotaxi commercial service next year in Washington, DC and Miami.