It'll soon become easier to hail a self-driving ride -- if you live in Austin or Atlanta. Uber and Waymo, the driverless arm of Google's parent company Alphabet, are teaming up to bring the robotaxi service to the two cities via the Uber app. Starting in 2025, Uber will manage and dispatch Waymo's fleet of fully autonomous, all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles, so you can choose a ride without a driver when embarking on your journey.
"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," Waymo's co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said in a statement.
As part of the partnership, Uber will manage tasks like vehicle cleaning and repair, while "Waymo will continue to be responsible for the testing and operation of the Waymo Driver, including roadside assistance and certain rider support functions," the companies say.
Waymo is currently conducting testing in Austin, and members of the public in both Austin and Atlanta can join an interest list and be notified when it's time to ride.
Watch this: Testing Waymo's Safe Exit Feature in a Self-Driving Taxi
For now, only Waymo employees can hail fully autonomous rides in Austin. The company says in the coming weeks, it'll welcome a "limited number of early riders" via the Waymo One app, before transitioning to the Uber app next year. You can download the Waymo One app on iOS and Android.
In Atlanta, public riders can catch a driverless ride via the Uber app starting in early 2025.
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Waymo currently operates fully autonomous rides for the general public in the San Francisco and Phoenix areas, as well as for select members of the public in Los Angeles. The company says it provides more than 100,000 trips each week across those cities. I've hailed several rides myself in San Francisco, and as off-putting as it can seem at first (especially to see a steering wheel turn by itself), I quickly adjusted and it soon felt like an ordinary ride.
That's not to say there hasn't been pushback as Waymo rolls out to more cities. The company's vehicles have been involved in a handful of high-profile collisions, including one with a biker in San Francisco, and another with a towed pickup truck in Phoenix. (It recalled and updated its software to address the issue.) In response to concerns, Waymo says that across 14.8 million miles, its autonomous Waymo Driver "was up to 3.5x better in avoiding crashes that cause injuries and 2x better in avoiding police-reported crashes than human drivers in SF and Phoenix." It also released a data hub earlier this month, detailing efforts to improve road safety using its technology.
Hailing a ride in Phoenix
Phoenix was the first city to open up fully autonomous Waymo rides to the public, in 2020. To hail a ride, download the Waymo One app -- no waitlist needed. The service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
As a teaser for what's to come in Austin and Atlanta, you can also use the Uber app to summon one of Waymo's vehicles in Phoenix. When you request an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric ride, you'll have the choice to confirm a Waymo ride, if you're matched.
In addition to hailing a ride, you may also have your Uber Eats meal delivered by an autonomous car. When placing an order in the Phoenix area, you might get a note that "autonomous vehicles may deliver your order." When the Waymo car arrives, take your phone with you to pop open the trunk and grab your delivery. You can opt out of this during checkout if you'd rather have a human deliver your food.
Hailing a ride in San Francisco
San Francisco followed suit after Phoenix, rolling out fully autonomous rides in late 2022. It scrapped the waitlist in June, so now, anyone can simply download the Waymo One app to ride any time. The service also operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There's currently no Uber partnership in San Francisco.
In August, Waymo expanded its ride-hailing service into the San Francisco Peninsula, adding 10 square miles and venturing into Daly City, Broadmoor and Colma. It now operates across 55 square miles of the Bay Area.
Hailing a ride in Los Angeles
In LA, you'll need to join a waitlist before catching a ride with Waymo. The company also expanded its service in the area in August, now covering 79 square miles of LA county.
First, download the Waymo One app and create an account to get on the waitlist, then Waymo will reach out when it's your turn. If you have an invite code, you can enter that in the app to start hailing rides.
The road ahead
In August, Waymo unveiled the sixth generation of its self-driving technology, which aims to expand the capabilities of its driverless fleet. Smarter sensors will help the cars better navigate in extreme weather. The sixth-gen driver will come aboard the all-electric Zeekr vehicle, which features a flat floor, more head and legroom, adjustable seats and a removable steering wheel and pedals. The updated tech is still being tested, and the company says it'll be available to riders soon.
Currently, everyday riders can't take a Waymo vehicle on highways and freeways, but that may soon change. The company is testing fully autonomous rides on freeways in Phoenix, as seen in an exclusive video shared with CNET in May.
Waymo is working to expand its autonomous driving tech into trucking as well, but it said last year it's scaling back those efforts for the time being, to focus on ride-hailing with Waymo One. It noted, "Our ongoing investment in advancing Waymo Driver capabilities, especially on freeways, will directly translate to trucking and benefit its development efforts."