Uber and Waymo launch autonomous rides in Austin, Texas.
Uber and Alphabet’s Waymo are launching autonomous rides in Texas on Tuesday, marking a major milestone in the rapidly advancing self-driving industry.
Riders in Austin can be paired with a Waymo fully autonomous all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicle, which will allow them to travel across 37 miles in the area. But the companies are already planning on expanding the service to Atlanta. The company didn’t specify when it would launch the service in Georgia, but said its employees are already taking fully autonomous trips in the city, which it says is a “key step as we prepare to offer Waymo rides to the public there.”
The companies joined forces in 2022 to bring autonomous rides to the public.
Uber and Waymo bring autonomous rides to Austin, Texas. (Uber)
A growing list of companies are racing to make autonomous driving a reality by investing heavily in developing their own self-driving technology. But as companies heavily invested in their own operations, Uber dumped its program for an entirely new strategy.
UBER PARTNERS WITH WAYMO TO PROVIDE AUTONOMOUS DRIVING TECH TO RIDESHARE USERS IN ARIZONA
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBER | UBER TECHNOLOGIES INC. | 75.26 | +0.82 | +1.10% |
In 2020, it sold its autonomous vehicle research division, Uber Advanced Technologies Group, to self-driving car startup Aurora and created partnerships with more than a dozen autonomous vehicle partners, including Volvo, Waymo, Cartken and Nuro, to bring the technology to market and co-brand their efforts. Uber also has autonomous delivery programs available in 11 cities with six partners.
Uber rival Lyft has partnered with technology company May Mobility to launch a fleet of autonomous Toyota Sienna minivans in Atlanta this year. The goal is to scale the partnership over time across multiple markets.
In 2026, Lyft is launching autonomous driving in Dallas with Mobileye and Marubeni.
A Waymo fully autonomous all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicle on the streets of California. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
“As the largest on-demand mobility and delivery platform in the world, alongside our deep expertise in marketplace management, fleet utilization, and local operations – we’re uniquely positioned to help AV hardware and software developers deploy and scale their technology globally,” Uber’s website said.
WAYMO ROBOTAXIS COMING TO LA
How it works:
- Riders will first have to opt into the service. Riders who request an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric could be matched with the autonomous all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicle at no extra cost. However, they will have the option to either accept it or switch to a non-autonomous ride.
- Riders can boost their chances of getting matched with an autonomous ride by opting in via the Ride Preferences section of the Uber app.
Uber headquarters in San Francisco, California. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via / Getty Images)
- When the car arrives, riders will be able to unlock the vehicle, open the trunk, and start the trip in their app. They will pay the same rates as they would for an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric, and will see the prices upfront.
- Riders will be able to rate their experience afterward, but they won’t be prompted to tip.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
- Riders will have access to 24/7 human support, which is offered in the Uber app and inside the Waymo vehicle.
- The fleet of vehicles will be managed by Avomo, which includes vehicle cleaning, maintenance, inspections, charging and depot operations. However, Waymo will still oversee vehicle testing, roadside assistance and certain aspects of rider support.
