[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"branding":3,"analytics":7,"article-waymo-robotaxis-idle-for-nearly-half-their-miles-study-finds":10},{"siteName":4,"siteTagline":5,"publisherName":4,"contactEmail":6},"The Revision","Tech news, decoded.","editor@therevision.news",{"gaMeasurementId":8,"adsenseClientId":9},"G-ZW2MV82GYR","ca-pub-8533917693782264",{"article":11},{"id":12,"slug":13,"title":14,"dek":15,"body_md":16,"tags_json":17,"published_at":18,"created_at":19,"updated_at":20,"status":21,"review_note":22,"review_notes":23,"image_url":22,"persona_id":22,"persona_name":22,"section":22,"tags":24,"sources":28,"feedback":32,"feedback_at":22,"cost_usd":32,"total_tokens":32},271,"waymo-robotaxis-idle-for-nearly-half-their-miles-study-finds","Waymo robotaxis idle for nearly half their miles, study finds","A 2025 analysis of 1.2 million Waymo robotaxi miles shows they cut traffic no more than conventional ride‑hailing.","Waymo’s self‑driving taxis spend almost half their time without a passenger, a new study shows.\n\nThe study, released Jan. 22 2025, examined 1.2 million miles of Waymo robotaxi operation in three U.S. cities. Researchers matched GPS logs to rider requests and found that 48% of driven miles were empty. They compared this to 1.5 million miles of traditional ride‑hailing in the same period, using the same empty‑mile metric. The methodology relied on third‑party traffic sensors to measure overall congestion changes.\n\nThe result matters because policymakers have counted on autonomous fleets to ease urban congestion. If robotaxis are idle nearly as often as regular taxis, the expected traffic relief evaporates. Cities may need to rethink incentives or require higher occupancy thresholds.\n\nIn other words, autonomous vehicles are not the traffic‑saving miracle some early forecasts promised.","[\"autonomous-vehicles\",\"traffic\",\"transportation\"]","2026-06-03T15:13:03.000Z","2026-06-04T21:23:32.556Z","2026-06-05T16:22:30.531Z","published",null,[],[25,26,27],"autonomous-vehicles","traffic","transportation",[29],{"name":30,"url":31},"Ars Technica","https:\u002F\u002Farstechnica.com\u002Fcars\u002F2026\u002F06\u002Frobotaxis-dont-cut-traffic-any-more-than-ride-hailing-study-finds\u002F",0]