Uber and Waymo launch self-driving taxis in Texas

Uber and Waymo have started providing self-driving services in Austin, Texas. Users of the taxi service can get a Waymo electric car at no extra charge with the option of choosing a regular car with a driver.

Here's What We Know

Uber plans to become the exclusive operator of Waymo in Austin and Atlanta. The reason is that the company no longer develops its own self-driving cars but cooperates with manufacturers.

As a result, people who order UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric can be provided with Waymo's electric Jaguar cars for free. In this cooperation, Uber will be responsible for Waymo's maintenance, and Waymo will be responsible for testing and customer support.

Uber will also begin offering Waymo rides and deliveries for the first time in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2023. While Waymo also offers rides through its own consumer app in Phoenix, Uber did announce last autumn that its app would be the only platform to offer Waymo rides in Austin.

Earlier, Uber and Lyft refused to develop their own self-driving technologies due to the high cost. Now they are working with autonomous car manufacturers and software developers. Uber already has more than ten such partnerships.

It is worth noting that Tesla is also entering this market and will soon launch a self-driving taxi in Austin, which will compete with Uber and Waymo.

Source: Bloomberg