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Uber x Waymo partnership to bring driverless rideshares to Austin

Hundreds of new autonomous cars are coming to the Capital City, with the first fleet arriving in early 2025.

September 13, 2024 • 
Morgan O’Neal
A white Waymo Engineering self-driving vehicle parked on the side of a street. The car, a Jaguar I-PACE electric SUV, is equipped with multiple sensors and cameras on the roof, indicating its autonomous capabilities. The background features a large office or commercial building, and a few people stand nearby, casually chatting or observing the vehicle.

Waymo uses GPS maps and sensor data to operates its vehicles.

Photo by ATXtoday

Come early 2025, Austinites who call an Uber could be picked up by a self-driving car, thanks to the ride share company’s new partnership with Waymo.

Waymo is an autonomous vehicle company that launched in 2009, and currently provides 100,000+ rides per week in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.

The new Uber x Waymo collaboration will debut in Austin and Atlanta, where Uber will oversee a fleet of Waymo’s fully autonomous, electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles. Over time, the companies plan to bring hundreds of the cars to Austin.

When the partnership is up and running, Uber users who request an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric in Austin may be matched with a Waymo rather than a human driver.

Waymo employees can already take driverless rides in Austin, and you can join the waitlist to do the same before the 2025 rollout.

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