Waymo and Uber prepare to launch robotaxi service in Atlanta this summer

Summary

Uber is inviting customers in Atlanta to join a list if they’re interested in hailing a Waymo robotaxi as the companies prepare to launch a commercial service in the city. Uber and Waymo last September announced plans to offer a robotaxi service in Austin and Atlanta in early 2025 as part of an expanded partnership. In March, the companies started offering the “Waymo on Uber” robotaxi service in Austin, about a month after opening an “interest list” to customers. The companies said on Tuesday the public will be able to hail a robotaxi in Atlanta this summer. For the two companies, the “Waymo on Uber” service splits the responsibilities of owning and operating a fleet of driverless vehicles: Uber handles the charging, maintenance and cleaning of the autonomous vehicles, as well as managing access to the robotaxis via its app, while Waymo monitors the tech and the autonomous operations, including rider assistance. Under the partnership, only Uber users can hail Waymo’s fleet of autonomous Jaguar I-PACE vehicles. The relationship between the two companies has taken an 180-degree turn from early 2018, when they went head-to-head in a trial that alleged Uber stole trade secrets belonging to Waymo. The lawsuit was settled in February 2018. In the seven years since that settlement, Waymo has plugged away, developing, testing and eventually offering a commercial robotaxi service in Phoenix. The Alphabet company later expanded its commercial service to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Uber took a more winding path to offering a commercial robotaxi service. Following the settlement, the rideshare company continued to operate its own in-house autonomous vehicle unit, called Uber ATG, for another two years. It would sell off that subsidiary in a complex deal with Aurora in December 2020. But Uber soon began shoring up its position in the emerging robotaxi market by partnering with autonomous vehicle developers. The company has struck deals with 14 autonomous vehicle firms that co...