A Waymo car drives along a street on March 01, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving car division, announced that it has laid off over 135 employees in a second round of layoffs this year.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
Waymo on Tuesday began offering robotaxi rides in Austin, Texas, through the Uber app.
The launch sets up Waymo to showcase its driverless technology during Austin’s annual South by Southwest festival that kicks off Friday. Approximately 300,000 people descend on the Texas capital to attend SXSW on average each year, according to the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“We can’t wait for Austin locals and visitors alike to experience Waymo One via the Uber app starting this week,” said Nicole Gavel, Waymo’s head of business development and strategic partnerships, in a statement.
Waymo previously said it would be launching in Austin, among several other U.S. cities, in 2025.
Austin is the first market where Uber will manage and dispatch a fleet of Waymo vehicles. Riders in Phoenix can book Waymo rides through the Uber app, but the ride-sharing company does not manage the Waymo fleet in that market. The two companies’ partnership will expand to Atlanta later this year, where Waymo employees have already begun taking fully autonomous trips across the city, the company said Tuesday.
Uber sold off its autonomous vehicle, or AV, unit in 2020 after a string of earlier safety incidents including one fatality. The two companies have not disclosed how they split revenue for Waymo rides booked through the Uber app.
“With Waymo’s technology and Uber’s proven platform, we’re excited to introduce our customers to a future of transportation that is increasingly electric and autonomous,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement.
Alphabet-owned Waymo, which has pulled far ahead of self-driving car competitors in the U.S., is currently serving over 200,000 paid trips per week across San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, according to the company.
Waymo’s Austin expansion also sets up the company for a potential clash with Elon Musk-led Tesla later this year.
Tesla has promised to launch a driverless rideshare service in Austin in June. The company already produces electric cars with partially automated driving systems. These require a human driver at the wheel ready to steer or brake at any time. Tesla has designed a robotaxi, called the CyberCab, but the company does not yet produce it.
Waymo riders will be able to travel across 37 square miles of Austin, covering neighborhoods including the city’s downtown, Hyde Park and Montopolis, the company said. Uber users who request an Uber X, Uber Comfort, Uber Green or Uber Comfort Electric will be shown the option to match with Waymo vehicles when available, the company added.
— CNBC’s Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.
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