Newly published robotaxi occupancy data from Waymo is sparking fresh discussion about what future autonomous fleets should actually look like — and it’s giving Tesla’s upcoming two-seat Cybercab some notable validation. The data, highlighted this month by Toyota Europe product designer Karim Dia Toubajie in a detailed LinkedIn post, comes from Waymo’s Q3 2025 filings with the California Public Utilities Commission.
According to Toubajie, 91% of robotaxi trips have 2 or fewer passengers, with 71% involving just one occupant. Waymo’s official quarterly disclosures indicate that 15% of rides carried two passengers, and only 9% had three or more passengers. Another 5% of rides involved no passengers at all — likely deliveries made by the autonomous fleet, or perhaps the vehicles repositioning themselves.
Image: Karim Dia Toubajie on LinkedIn
Toubajie argued that the data underscores a structural inefficiency: most robotaxi trips still rely on large, 2.5-ton multi-passenger vehicles for what are overwhelmingly solo or duo rides. “A huge amount of energy, carbon and material… can all be saved by designing smaller and lighter vehicles,” he noted, adding that even Tesla’s compact two-seat Cybercab, first unveiled in 2024 with a roughly 50 kWh pack, may still be larger than necessary for the majority of trips.
The findings quickly gained traction on X, where supporters pointed out that the data effectively reinforces Tesla’s decision to build a purpose-built two-seater. As one widely shared post from @TheEVuniverse put it, Waymo’s filings are “confirmation that Tesla making the Cybercab a two-seater was the right call.”
Tesla’s Cybercab — a minimalist, scissor-doored autonomous vehicle designed explicitly for the company’s Robotaxi network — has been drawing major attention globally. The vehicle was showcased earlier this month at a packed expo in China, and CEO Elon Musk confirmed at Tesla’s 2025 shareholder meeting that production remains on track for April 2026. The Cybercab was also spotted testing on public roads in California in October as pre-production development accelerates.
Once deployed, Cybercabs will form the backbone of Tesla’s autonomous ride-hailing network, with owners eventually able to add their own vehicles to scale the service. And with Waymo’s latest data showing that small-format robotaxis fit the overwhelming majority of real-world demand, Tesla’s bet on simplicity — and two seats — appears increasingly well-timed.
