Starting this week, Uber users in Austin, Texas, can request a driverless ride through the app, thanks to a partnership with Waymo, the self-driving car division of Alphabet.
This marks a significant expansion of autonomous vehicle services in a city that has become a hub for innovation in transportation.
Uber and Waymo, once rivals in the self-driving car industry, have now teamed up to provide autonomous ride-hailing services in Austin. The service covers 37 square miles of the city, including key neighborhoods like downtown Austin, Hyde Park, and Montopolis. Riders who request an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric may be matched with a Waymo autonomous vehicle, specifically the all-electric Jaguar I-PACE.
Austin is the first city where Uber will manage Waymo’s fleet directly. While Waymo already operates in cities like Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, Uber’s involvement in Austin introduces a new level of collaboration. The partnership is expected to expand to Atlanta later this year.
Waymo’s launch in Austin comes at a time when autonomous vehicle technology is becoming more widely available. Waymo currently provides over 200,000 paid rides per week across multiple cities, a number that has doubled since mid-2024. The Austin expansion also coincides with the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, where more than 300,000 visitors are expected, offering a high-profile opportunity to showcase the technology.
Uber previously owned its own autonomous vehicle division but sold it in 2020 following safety concerns. Now, instead of developing its own technology, Uber is focusing on partnerships with established players in the industry, such as Waymo.
The timing of Waymo’s launch in Austin is notable, as Tesla has announced plans to introduce a driverless ride-hailing service in the city by June. Tesla’s approach to autonomy relies solely on cameras, while Waymo uses a combination of cameras, radar, and lidar sensors. Tesla has yet to launch a fully autonomous vehicle, while Waymo has been operating driverless services for years.
Elon Musk’s company has faced scrutiny over the safety of its driver-assistance features, including Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. In contrast, Waymo has emphasized its safety record, with no reported fatalities linked to its autonomous vehicles in self-driving mode.
Uber executives believe that the introduction of autonomous vehicles will grow the overall rideshare market.
“This is going to really expand the opportunities both for human-driven vehicles and autonomous vehicles,” said Andrew Macdonald, Uber’s senior vice president of mobility and business operations.
Riders in Austin have the option to adjust their preferences in the Uber app to increase their chances of being matched with a Waymo vehicle. However, if they prefer a human driver, they can opt out of the autonomous experience.
CNN, CNBC, the Associated Press, and Forbes contributed to this report.
