Austin logs 8 robotaxi crashes as Tesla, Waymo grow Texas fleets

Several crashes involving robotaxis happened in Austin in recent weeks, including a collision with an e-bike rider that Austin police investigated, but the state’s first robotaxi-related fatality was recorded in Dallas. 

There, a pedestrian was struck by a human-driven SUV and pushed into an autonomous vehicle.

The latest collisions are being reported as a slew of new robotaxis enter the Texas market. Just ahead of Tesla Inc.’s launch of its new Cybercab, the company registered 45 of the vehicles in Texas, pushing its robotaxi total to 439 in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. Competitor Waymo, a unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc., has pushed its robotaxi count in the state to nearly 1,000. 

In Austin, one of Tesla’s robotaxis struck a metal bollard and chain fence, raising the company’s citywide crash total to 23 since June 2025. Waymo reported five crashes, bringing its Austin total to 135. Avride reported one, raising its total to 27 among its fleet of 344 Hyundai Ioniq 5s. Zoox, a subsidiary of Amazon Inc., reported no new crashes among its fleet of 44 vehicles, leaving its total at three.

Autonomous vehicle maker Nuro and May Mobility, which has partnered with ride-hailing app Lyft, both contributed to the total of new crashes reported by Waymo and Avride in other Texas cities.

No crashes were reported in San Antonio in the latest data released by safety regulators. Waymo’s ride-hailing service there has been paused since one of its driverless cars was swept away by floodwaters in April. In Houston, four crashes were reported, while Dallas and Arlington reported 10 combined.

The Austin crash that left an e-bike rider with minor injuries occurred after the cyclist lost control and slid into the side of an Avride vehicle, according to the company’s report to NHTSA. Avride said the cyclist was traveling in the wrong direction on a two-way road.

Waymo’s Austin crashes included collisions after other vehicles entered the Waymo’s lane, when one Waymo drove over a sloped parking lot exit and damaged its underside, and when a garbage truck backed into a Waymo.

In Dallas, Waymo reported seven crashes including the fatality. According to the company’s report to NHTSA, its robotaxi slowed for a pedestrian who was then struck by an SUV, sending the person into the rear left side of the Waymo. Juan Guzman, 71, was taken to a hospital, where he died. The SUV driver remained at the scene. Police have announced no arrests or charges and the investigation is ongoing.

The Dallas crash is the first Texas fatality recorded in NHTSA’s robotaxi crash database since June 2025. The only other fatality during that period also involved a Waymo. In that September crash in Tempe, Ariz., a motorcycle struck a slowing Waymo before the rider fell into the roadway and was hit by a passing car.