Waymo’s commercial robotaxi ramp-up looks expansive, both in geographic reach and in ridership. And by almost every measure, it is — until you pay attention to where the bulk of those robotaxis are actually showing up.
The numbers over the past two years reflect the kind of commercial rollout you’d expect from a deep-pocketed company like Waymo, which spun out of Google and still counts Alphabet as its majority owner. In September 2024, Waymo was operating in just three cities — Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Today, it offers robotaxi service in 15 U.S. cities, with most of those commercial launches occurring in the past year. Ridership has skyrocketed, too with Waymo now averaging 500,000 paid robotaxi rides every week.
But a closer look at its fleet shows a company concentrating its efforts in just two states. About 80% of Waymo’s roughly 4,000 robotaxis are in California and Texas, and Texas is where the action is now: Waymo’s fleet there has grown by nearly half in the past three weeks, fueled by a new Chinese-built minivan the company is betting will help it scale, even as tariffs drive up its costs.
The other 800 or so vehicles are spread across cities in other states, including Arizona and Florida, another burgeoning hotspot. Most are the familiar white Jaguar I-Pace electric SUVs, but a growing share are that new minivan — a modified Zeekr RT that Waymo has branded “Ojai.”
Waymo’s focus on California is no surprise. It is headquartered in Silicon Valley, and much of its early testing and development work was conducted there. Plus, a segment of the population there is inclined to adopt tech at its earliest stages.
The recent growth in Texas is more interesting. Waymo has increased its Texas fleet by 49% in the past three weeks, according to state vehicle registrations and data from the Texas Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Tracker. As of September 24, Waymo had 1,102 autonomous vehicles registered in the state.
Waymo first launched in commercial service in Austin through a partnership with Uber in March 2025, letting riders hail its robotaxis through the uber app. Since then, the company has expanded its robotaxi services in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.
Waymo’s Texas fleet remained relatively static for most of the summer, inching up from about 600 vehicles in June to more than 700 by the end of August. Then came September, when the he fleet surged, driven by an influx of new Ojai minivans, which now make up about a third of Waymo’s Texas fleet.
Expect that share to grow.
The Ojai robotaxi, equipped with Waymo’s sixth-generation self-driving system, is supposed to help Waymo reach mass scale. Its interior is built to withstand heavy use, and it comes with an upgraded rider interface and Google’s Gemini AI, which acts as an in-car assistant for riders.
Strip away that technology, though, and the Ojai is a minivan made by Zeekr, a brand owned by China’s Geely Holding Group (which also owns Volvo). The Ojai is built on Zeekr’s SEA-M platform, a shared vehicle platform designed for uses like robotaxis and delivery vans. The base Zeekr vehicles are shipped to the U.S. without any Chinese connected-car technology on board. Once they arrive, the vehicles are sent to Waymo’s Arizona factory, where they are outfitted with Waymo’s self-driving system.
The Ojai is supposed to drive down costs and ultimately help Waymo reach profitability. For now, though, tariffs are cutting any savings. Under current U.S. trade policy, vehicles built in China face steep import tariffs, raising Waymo’s costs for every Ojai it brings into the country.
Waymo appears willing to absorb that cost. New York-based research firm MoffettNathanson, which tracks Ojai imports using detailed shipping records, said in its September report that Waymo is on track to bring 5,100 of the vehicles into the U.S. by the end of the year.
Where will all those Ojai vehicles go? Texas is certainly on the list. But Florida, where Waymo operates in three cities, and newer markets like Las Vegas will likely see an influx as well.
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Yusuf Abdullahi Itas, a member of the Bauchi State House of Assembly representing Itas/Gadau State Constituency, has withdrawn from the 2027 general election. Itas, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM), announced his decision in a letter dated October 5, 2026, addressed to the party’s state chairman.
In the letter titled, “Withdrawal of Candidature for the Itas/Gadau State Constituency Seat in the Bauchi State House of Assembly,” the lawmaker formally informed the party that he would no longer contest the seat in the 2027 election.
He described his decision as “entirely voluntary and personal”.
He thanked the APM leadership and its members for giving him the opportunity to represent the party.
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Itas also expressed appreciation to residents of the constituency for their encouragement and support during his time in office.
The lawmaker is the Chairman of the House Committee on Petitions and Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
His withdrawal comes less than three weeks after the Bauchi Assembly Chief Whip, Musa Wakili Nakwada, also announced that he would not contest the 2027 elections.
Welcome to Jos Ghetto Stories — a new Jos Events series created to tell the stories that are often overlooked, but should never be forgotten.
From the narrow streets of Gangare, Nasarawa, Angwan Rogo, Jenta-Adamu, Congo-Russia, Tudun Wada, Katako, Dadin Kowa, Bukuru and other communities across Jos, there are children growing up surrounded by challenges many of us may never fully understand.
Some wake up without knowing where their next meal will come from.
Some go to school with torn shoes.
Some live in crowded homes, struggle to afford basic needs, or watch their parents battle every day just to keep the family going.
And some are already beginning to believe that because they were born into hardship, hardship is all life has to offer them.
But we are here to tell them something different.
YOU CAN STILL BECOME GREAT.
Your address does not determine your destiny.
The street you grew up on does not decide the height you can reach.
Poverty may be part of your story, but it does not have to be the final chapter.
Look at Jos.
This city has produced and nurtured people who have gone on to make their mark far beyond the streets where their journeys began.
John Obi Mikel and Ogenyi Onazi, Ahmed Musa went from Jos to becoming aome of Nigeria’s most recognisable footballers, they all grew up from the Ghetto streets of Jos and made it in life through football to the point of representing Nigeria at the highest level.
Jeremiah Gyang, M.I Abaga and Ice Prince carried the sound and creativity of Jos into the Nigerian music industry and beyond.
P-Square and 2Baba are among the major names whose stories are connected to Jos.
Saint Obi,Dayo Okeniyi took their journey from Jos into international acting, while filmmakers Dimbo Atiya and Kenneth Gyang, have used film to tell stories that travel far beyond home.
And there are many more whose names may not yet be famous—but whose stories prove that greatness can rise from ordinary beginnings. 
So when we walk through the streets of Jos and meet these children, we are not looking at “ghetto children.”
We are looking at future doctors, engineers, footballers, musicians, filmmakers, entrepreneurs, teachers, leaders, creatives and nation builders.
We are looking at potential.
We are looking at dreams waiting for an opportunity.
Because sometimes, all a child needs is somebody to look them in the eyes and say:
“I believe in you.”
That is what Jos Ghetto Stories is about.
We will tell the stories of the streets.
We will show the struggles.
We will celebrate the talent.
We will listen to the dreams.
And most importantly, we will remind every young person watching that you can become the best version of yourself, regardless of where you started.
Your parents may not have everything.
Your environment may not be perfect.
You may not have the opportunities others have.
But never allow your circumstances to convince you that you cannot become somebody.
The world may see a child from the slum.
We see a future star.
The world may see a difficult beginning.
We see a story waiting to become extraordinary.
This is Jos Ghetto Stories.
Stories from the streets.
Stories of struggle.
Stories of hope.
Stories of talent.
Stories of resilience.
Stories of people who refuse to let their circumstances define them.
Because from the streets of Jos, greatness can rise.
And perhaps, the next great story is the child standing beside you.