Waymo leads autonomous taxi race in the U.S.

Waymo’s autonomous vehicles have become part of the everyday landscape in a growing number of U.S. cities.

Waymo's autonomous vehicles have become part of the everyday landscape in a growing number of US cities, serving as safe transport options, tourist attractions, and symbols of a not-so-distant future. Their market dominance, however, is far from guaranteed.

As Tesla preps to launch its first driverless taxi service in Austin, Texas, this month after numerous delays, Waymo already claims to have more than 250,000 weekly rides across Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin (in a partnership with Uber).

In San Francisco, locals barely notice the steering wheels turning by themselves anymore, with Waymo's fleet of Jaguars also available in parts of Silicon Valley.

But for tourists and business travelers, their first Waymo ride often becomes the most memorable part of a trip to the Golden Gate city.

In Los Angeles, the vehicles also became a target of protesters against the White House's immigration policies, who set Waymos on fire or covered them in graffiti.

That blip aside, Waymo has been going from strength to strength, with the company -- a subsidiary of Google-parent Alphabet, capturing 27% of San Francisco's market share, according to YipitData.

The data shows that Waymo has surpassed Lyft, the United States' second-largest ride-hailing service, in the city, while Uber maintains a dominant 50-plus percent market share.