Waymo Cuts Ties With Uber, Will Serve Riders Directly
Waymo plans to end its exclusive Uber robotaxi partnership in Austin and Atlanta in January 2028 and let customers hail its vehicles directly through the Waymo app. In an interview on The Circuit, Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana called the current Uber experience a "crapshoot" because riders aren't guaranteed a Waymo. Bloomberg reports: "In the early days, we would partner because we didn't have…
Waymo intends to sever its exclusive robotaxi partnership with Uber in Austin and Atlanta starting in January 2028, allowing riders to summon its vehicles directly via the Waymo application. In an interview, Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana described the current Uber experience as a "crapshoot" due to riders not receiving a guaranteed Waymo.
She explained that during the early stages, they partnered with Uber because they lacked the necessary scale, but the experience was unpredictable for customers - would they get a Waymo or not? Mawakana cited the increasing demand from riders for a consistent offering from a single app, particularly in cities like San Francisco where Waymo's self-driving service is offered through its own consumer app that competes with Uber.
She stated that maintaining a relationship with riders is crucial, and feedback from riders in those markets has reinforced this need. Concurrently, Waymo has learned from partnering with Uber, which has been an integral part of their journey in commercializing their autonomous technology. The company operates more than 500,000 trips per week across 14 cities, utilizing a variety of partners such as Uber, Lyft, and fleet management companies to support its roughly 4,000 vehicles.
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