Tesla Robotaxi goes head-to-head with Waymo in race across San Francisco
Published on Sep 18, 2025 at 7:53 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Sep 18, 2025 at 7:53 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Claire Reid
A Tesla Robotaxi and a Waymo went head-to-head in a race across San Francisco – and here’s how it went down.
Waymo first launched its autonomous taxi service, without the need for safety drivers, back in 2020.
It now operates in several major cities across the US, including San Francisco, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.
But how did its autonomous taxi service compare to the newly launched Tesla Robotaxi?
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A Tesla Robotaxi went to head-to-head with a Waymo
Waymo was the first company to offer autonomous taxis, but has since been joined by Tesla, which launched its Robotaxi service in June.
In recent weeks, the two companies have been rapidly expanding the areas their services cover in Austin, Texas, with Tesla taking the opportunity to make a bit of a crude joke in the process.
In a bid to see which company offers a better service, reporters from The San Francisco Standard decided to put a Waymo and a Tesla Robotaxi head-to-head in a journey from South of Market, or SoMa, to Jackson Square.
The two reporters ordered the autonomous taxis at exactly the same time, 9.15 am, but were initially surprised by the difference in prices.
The Tesla cost just $5.80, whereas the same trip on Waymo came in at $20.36.
Another big difference between the two is that the Tesla is required to have a safety driver on board, whereas the Waymo isn’t.
With the two services booked, it was the Waymo that was first to arrive at the newspaper’s offices and had left before the Tesla Robotaxi had even turned up.
Although newer, Tesla has a larger zone of operation in the city and can go on bridges and freeways.
Nonetheless, that earlier arrival time paid off on the day, and it was the Waymo that ‘won’ the race.
It arrived at its destination an whole four minutes before the Tesla, which had made a diversion to avoid a construction zone en route.
Waymo’s former CEO takes a dig at Tesla’s Robotaxis
For now, the Tesla Robotaxi service operates with a human safety driver onboard, which has prompted some pretty harsh words from former Waymo CEO John Krafcik.
Last month, he said the Robotaxis were more like a ride-hailing service, such as Uber, than an autonomous taxi service.
He said the service can’t be compared to true autonomous taxi services, as it still requires a human on board.
“Please let me know when Tesla launches a Robotaxi, I’m still waiting,” Krafcik said.
Ouch.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
