Waymo

1. 5

   Regulator-cleared or mass marketThis robot

   A regulator has cleared it where approval applies: FDA clearance or approval for a medical robot, a permit to run with no one aboard for a self-driving vehicle, or an FAA approval for routine drone flights. Or: Widely sold: sales in the hundreds of thousands, or a product category you can buy in ordinary shops.

   Placed by: California's utilities regulator (CPUC) voted to let Waymo charge fares for fully driverless rides at any time of day in San Francisco (10 Aug 2023).

2. 4

   Paying customers

   Delivered to customers who pay for it, beyond a trial, or a paid service the public can use.

3. 3

   Pilot

   Working with a named customer in a real setting, as a trial.

4. 2

   Pre-orders

   Orders, reservations or deposits taken, with nothing delivered yet.

5. 1

   Demo only

   Shown in videos, staged events or a factory, with no units working for customers.

What we couldn't confirm. The 500,000 paid rides a week figure is Waymo's own, from March 2026; no newer independent count was found. We could not confirm from a source whether rides in every one of the 15 metros are paid yet; Denver, San Diego and Tampa opened by invitation.