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Waymo’s driverless taxis will be available exclusively via Uber in two more cities; that empty driver’s seat is one more surface on which Uber can place ads.
The two companies announced that Waymo will make its driverless cars available via Uber in two more cities. Starting in early 2025, Waymo’s robot axis will be available for hire in Atlanta, Georgia, and Austin, Texas.
Waymo’s autonomous taxis will be exclusively available via Uber as part of the two-year partnership. This is unlike Phoenix, Arizona, where robotaxis, owned by Google’s sister company, have been available for hailing via Uber and the Waymo One app since May 2023.
Waymo says it has been testing autonomous taxis in Austin by ferrying employees. In the coming weeks, it will allow a limited number of users to experience its cab service through Waymo One “before fully transitioning to the Uber app next year.” It will begin offering rides on Uber in the early months and then expand throughout the rest of next year.
Uber will also “manage and dispatch” Waymo’s fully autonomous Jaguar I-PACE EVs. It plans to grow the fleet to “hundreds over time.” Uber will also be responsible for vehicle maintenance, service, and repair and could likely be responsible for times when human operators must override autonomous controls and take charge of the vehicle remotely. It remains unclear who takes the liability for crashes, which have been an indispensable part of autonomous vehicle operations.
Notably, riders will not have the option to specifically choose a Waymo but could be matched to one when they request an Uber Comfort, Uber Comfort Electric, Uber Green, or UberX vehicle in the two new cities. However, there is no word on whether Uber also plans to use the fleet to deliver food via Uber Eats, as it does in Phoenix.
The partnership is expected to benefit both companies mutually, with Uber not only gaining the attraction of a futuristic form of transport but also allaying some of its troubles from activist groups and driver unions calling for better wages and benefits or the option to set their own fares. Waymo, meanwhile, benefits from Uber’s expansive network, which gives it additional troves of data on autonomous driving.
In addition to Waymo, Uber has also roped in multiple Chevy Bolt-based self-driven vehicles through partnerships with General Motors’ Cruise platform for operations next year. Additionally, it has invested in autonomous car software company Wayve to develop its lineup of autonomous taxis after failing to succeed at in-house endeavors.
