"Throughout the year, Alphabet's Waymo made its robotaxis available to the public in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin. The company has been operating in Phoenix since 2020. Tesla's robotaxi also began a pilot launch of its service in Austin in June. Hourly pay dropped in every AV-active market, while the nationwide median hourly pay increased 1%: Austin (-5.3%), Los Angeles (-4.7%), Phoenix (-3.8%), and San Francisco (-6.9%)."
"The study compared driver wages through several different lenses - pay per trip, hourly pay, monthly earnings, etc. - between the month of July 2024 and July 2025. The report includes data from 500,000 Gridwise users over the course of the year, Green said. "Right now, we are seeing some clear distinction of AVs having an impact on the pre-existing supply in those markets of human drivers," Ryan Green, CEO of Gridwise, told Business Insider. "So we do see an impact on pay, but it's too early to determine how this may play out in the long-term, in my opinion.""
Driver wages were compared between July 2024 and July 2025 across multiple metrics using data from 500,000 rideshare and delivery platform users. Waymo expanded robotaxi service to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin; Waymo operated in Phoenix since 2020, and Tesla began a pilot robotaxi launch in Austin in June. Hourly pay declined in AV-active markets while the nationwide median hourly pay rose 1%, with declines of Austin -5.3%, Los Angeles -4.7%, Phoenix -3.8%, and San Francisco -6.9%. Hourly pay reflects earnings and ride volume, and declines can reflect shifts in demand, early AV deployment, rider mix, trip length, or incentive changes. Observers note AVs appear to affect pre-existing human driver supply and pay, but long-term outcomes remain uncertain.
Read at Business Insider
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