Starting Tuesday, Uber riders in Atlanta can hail a Waymo robotaxi to get around town.
Now, when you book a ride via UberX, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric, you could be paired with a fully electric, autonomous Jaguar I-Pace vehicle operated by Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving company, at no additional cost. You’ll have the option to accept or decline the driverless ride each time. Passengers can travel across 65 square miles of Atlanta, with plans for future expansions.
If you want to boost your chances of being paired with a Waymo vehicle, you can opt in by going to the Uber app, tapping Account > Settings > Autonomous vehicles (under Ride Preferences), and then hitting the toggle next to Get more Waymo rides.
Watch this: Testing Waymo’s Safe Exit Feature in a Self-Driving Taxi
Riders can unlock the vehicle when it arrives, pop open the trunk and start the ride from the Uber app. They can also contact 24/7 customer support through the Uber app or Waymo’s touchscreens within the vehicle.
The current Waymo service area for Uber riders in Atlanta. There are plans for future expansions.
Expanding the Uber-Waymo partnership
Waymo and Uber teamed up in 2023 (following a bitter rivalry) to bring more Waymo rides to passengers via the Uber app. They kicked off the partnership in Phoenix, where customers can hail a robotaxi from the Uber app and have their Uber Eats meal delivered by an autonomous car.
Uber began offering Waymo rides in Austin, Texas, in March, and it says there are now 100 vehicles on the platform there. Waymo also notes that “reception from riders in Austin has been overwhelmingly positive, with riders rating their Waymo trips, on average, as 4.9 out of 5 stars.”
You can choose whether to accept a ride once you’ve been paired with a Waymo vehicle.
In April, Uber launched a waitlist for Atlanta riders who want to increase their chances of being matched with a Waymo robotaxi. It says it expects to have “hundreds of vehicles” in its Waymo fleet across Austin and Atlanta over the next few years.
“We’re thrilled to continue deepening our partnership with Waymo as we expand autonomous rides to Atlanta,” Sarfraz Maredia, Uber’s global head of autonomous mobility & delivery, said in a statement. “By integrating Waymo’s cutting-edge technology into the Uber platform, we’re continuing to make transportation more convenient, sustainable and reliable.”
Similar to Uber’s and Waymo’s partnership in Austin, Uber will manage tasks like vehicle cleaning and repair, while Waymo will be in charge of the testing and operations of its Waymo Driver autonomous tech, including roadside assistance and certain aspects of rider support.
Self-driving builds up speed
Waymo also operates fully autonomous rides for the general public in San Francisco and Los Angeles, where passengers can only hail a ride via the Waymo One app. In Phoenix, customers have the option to book a ride through Uber or Waymo One. And in Austin and Atlanta, they can only climb aboard using the Uber app.
Making driverless trips available through Uber could help familiarize more people with autonomous vehicles and lower the barrier to entry, since hitching a ride doesn’t require downloading a separate app like in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Uber has partnerships with 18 autonomous vehicle companies. That includes Waymo and other companies like May Mobility, Nuro and Avride, as well as Aurora, to which Uber sold its self-driving technology in 2020.
You can start a Waymo ride, pop open the trunk or call for customer support within the Uber app.
Waymo, which is owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, is the current leader in the self-driving space. The company says it provides more than 250,000 paid trips each week. Amid safety concerns regarding self-driving vehicles, Waymo’s latest safety data says that over 71 million autonomous miles driven through March 2025, Waymo vehicles were involved in 78% fewer injury-causing crashes compared to human drivers, as well as 93% fewer crashes with injuries involving pedestrians and 81% fewer involving cyclists.
Amazon-owned Zoox is also gearing up for a commercial launch later this year, starting in Las Vegas. In May, it announced it’s bringing its self-driving test fleet to Atlanta. It’s also hitting the road in other cities where Waymo operates, including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Austin. Last week, Zoox unveiled its new manufacturing facility in Hayward, California, which can crank out 10,000 robotaxis a year.
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