Uber Opens Up Its Waymo Robotaxi Interest List in Austin
Uber is one step closer to the Austin, Texas app, bragging about an autonomous car through its app. The company opens on Wednesday List of interests Therefore, curious riders can announce that they are likely to have a chance to have a relationship with Waymo Robotaxi once launched a partnership in Austin “soon”.
In September, Uber and Waymo, the autonomous driving divisions of Google’s parent company Alphabet, announced their expansion of their partnership to Austin and Atlanta,after Cooperation in Phoenix The previous year.
In October, Waymo began allowing Austin’s “limited number of early riders” through his own Waymo a Application, note that this is a Stepping stone Commercial launch with Uber in early 2025.
Now it seems that Waymo and Uber are one step closer to the official launch. As part of the partnership, Uber will manage tasks such as vehicle cleaning and repair, and “Waymo will continue to be responsible for Waymo driver testing and operations, including curbside assistance and certain rider support features,” the statement said. (In Atlanta, Waymo said public riders can capture driverless rides through the Uber app from sometime this year.)
See: Waymo expands to more cities: Everything about the growing Robotaxi service
To add to the interest list, Uber riders in Atlanta should first update the app and click account ” set up, And find Self-driving cars exist ride Preference menu. Then, click Add to interest listEssence If riders don’t opt-in, they won’t match self-driving cars, Uber said.
When the partnership is established, riders will be able to travel through 37 square miles of Austin and plan to expand in the future. Perhaps most importantly, customers will pay Waymo Robotaxi the same fee as Uberx, Uber Green, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric, and will see pre-price in the app, Uber said.
This could be a key step in getting more people to buy the idea of auto-cycling. In other cities where Waymo operates, such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, customers need to download a separate Waymo One app for hail rides (in Phoenix, you can choose to use Waymo One or Uber). In my personal experience, Waymo is usually more valuable than a standard Uber or Lyft ride. But if people can choose to simply call robotaxi from the apps they often use, and Prices are always comparable to standard artificially driven choices, and they may be more tempted to shoot – and beyond the comfort zone.
Self-driving cars are still a new technology, but have seen Relatively stable growth In recent years. Waymo is undoubtedly the biggest player, but like Amazon-owned companies Zamx It is also competing for a profitable pie and plans to launch commercially this year as well. Similar startups avride and Possible liquidity There are also extended works. Tesla’s Elon Musk said last week that the company plans to Start your own autonomous driving service Back in June, starting in Austin, before its planned launch Internet car 2027.
In December, GM said it would No longer funding its Cruise Robotaxi Ventureemphasizing the difficulties and costs of establishing and expanding autonomous driving technology.
Not surprisingly, there are safety issues when it comes to vehicles without drivers behind the vehicle, and companies like Waymo, Zoox and Cruise are all involved in a series of involvement. event over the years. Nevertheless, these companies maintain the safety of their respective vehicles and technologies – especially compared to human drivers. one Waymo Data Center A statement issued in September said that after driving more than 22 million miles, its autonomous driving technology involved “a 73% reduction in crashes causing injuries, and a 48% reduction in crashes reported by police than human drivers.”
Uber says riders in Waymo vehicles will receive human support through the Uber app and the Waymo vehicle’s internal 24/7 (with screens in front and rear that allow you to quickly summon customer support). This may help alleviate some riders’ hesitation about rotating robots.
Watch the following: Waymo’s sixth-generation electrical robot at CES 2025
