Waymo and Uber rolled out robotaxi services in Atlanta on Tuesday, marking the official launch of the companies’ autonomous ride-hailing operations in the southeastern United States.
Waymo’s robotaxis are now accessible through the Uber app and will initially operate within a 65-square-mile area in Atlanta. According to a Waymo spokesperson, the robotaxis are battery-electric Jaguar I-PACE SUVs equipped with the company’s autonomous driving system.
Waymo, owned by Alphabet, has recently deployed its autonomous vehicles in Austin, Texas, through its collaboration with Uber. The company currently runs around 100 cars in the city. In both Austin and Atlanta, Waymo’s services are exclusively accessible via the Uber app.
Waymo and Uber first revealed the partnership in 2023, outlining plans to debut the robotaxi service in Austin first and expand to Atlanta afterward.
Waymo’s autonomous vehicles are currently limited to a 65-square-mile area in Atlanta, serving neighborhoods like Downtown, Buckhead, and Capitol View. For now, they don’t operate on highways or provide service to the airport.
Waymo has already expanded its ride services to other cities, including San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. With a fleet of approximately 1,500 vehicles, the company plans to double that number by 2026. Additional cities next in line include Miami, Washington, D.C., and New York.
Meanwhile, after stepping away from developing its own self-driving technology, Uber has formed 18 partnerships with leaders in autonomous mobility. Notable collaborators include May Mobility, China’s WeRide, Motional, and Aurora, which focuses on autonomous freight transport.
Waymo’s launch in Atlanta came shortly after Tesla introduced its limited robotaxi service in Austin, more than five years after CEO Elon Musk claimed that Tesla would soon surpass Waymo as the leader in autonomous vehicle technology.
AUTO TECH | Bosch to Invest €2.5B in AI to Boost Mobility and Manufacturing
