Waymo and Uber are giving some riders early access to Atlanta robotaxi service

CodeCanyon · Monday at 10:51 PM

Waymo and Uber will start offering robotaxi rides in Atlanta to select customers who earlier this year signed onto a waitlist. The move comes ahead of the companies’ public robotaxi launch this summer.

Customers selected for early access will be notified in the Uber app and via email. Those who opt for the robotaxi rides will be encouraged to provide feedback during and after the ride. As an extra incentive, riders will receive $10 worth of Uber credits after their first Waymo ride.

Atlanta is the second city to get the so-called “Waymo on Uber” service. The companies launched the service, which matches riders with a Waymo via the Uber app, in Austin this spring.

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. Under the partnership, only Uber users can hail Waymo’s fleet of autonomous Jaguar I-PACE vehicles.

Like every other city that Waymo has launched in — a list that includes Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco — the service area in Atlanta will grow over time. Waymo and Uber have agreed to initially offer robotaxi rides in a 65-square-mile area in Atlanta, including downtown, Buckhead, and Capitol View neighborhoods.

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.

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