Waymo plans to quintuple fleet to 20,000, Semafor reports

Oct 19 (Reuters) Alphabet s self-driving unit Waymo plans to expand its fleet five-fold to 20,000 ​by the end of next ‌year using $5 billion it raised earlier this month, Semafor reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. • The ‌autonomous ​ride-hailing service provider, ⁠which currently has 4,000 ⁠cars, wants to expand it to 8,000 by the end of the year and grow it ​to 20,000 by the end of next year, Semafor reported • ⁠Waymo did not ⁠immediately respond to a Reuters ​request for comment outside regular business ​hours • Waymo secured a $5 billion loan earlier ‌this month from lenders including PIMCO, Blackstone and Sixth Street, and said it will use the ⁠funds to expand its services across the US and internationally • Waymo operates in ⁠15 US ‌cities and has announced ⁠plans to roll out ​rides ‌in London, Tokyo, Singapore and ​Canada • ⁠The company closed a $16 billion equity raise earlier this year at a valuation of $126 billion (Reporting by Rodrigo Ramirez in M