Uber and Waymo have announced an expansion of their existing two-year robotaxi partnership to two new cities: Austin, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia.
This means the two cities will now use autonomous ride-hailing via the Uber app, starting in early 2025. Uber will manage and dispatch a fleet of Waymo’s fully-autonomous, all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles.
“Waymo’s mission is to be the world’s most trusted driver, and we’re excited to launch this expanded network and operations partnership with Uber in Austin and Atlanta to bring the benefits of fully autonomous driving to more riders,” said Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO, Waymo.
The two mobility giants have already been carrying out autonomous ride-hailing operations in Phoenix, Arizona since last year.
Their latest expansion however will function slightly differently as Waymo’s robotaxis will be available to hail for rides on the Uber app “only” in Austin and Atlanta. That means Waymo’s own ride-hail app, Waymo One, will not be operational in either city.
Waymo and Uber will reportedly share the responsibilities of operating the fleet of ride-hail robotaxis: Uber will take care of fleet management services, including vehicle cleaning, repair, and other general depot operations, and Waymo will provide the driverless vehicles while handling roadside assistance and customer services.
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