Google LLC-owned Waymo continues its U.S. expansion, announcing today that its self-driving taxis are now available in Atlanta through its partnership with Uber Technologies Inc.
This is the second time the two companies have collaborated, with both of them operating a robotaxi service in Austin since March this year. This week, Tesla Inc. announced it will launch its own autonomous taxi service in Austin, albeit with a human in the passenger seat in a dozen cars that operate within a geofenced area, compared with Waymo and Uber’s 100 or so vehicles that cover a much larger area.
Uber, which now partners with 18 autonomous vehicle firms, has plans to expand its self-driving taxi service globally. It now has a run rate of 1.5 million autonomous taxi and delivery trips on its network. After today’s announcement, the company’s stock surged over 8%.
Waymo says it has about 1,500 autonomous vehicles operating across the U.S., with the company reporting that it provides 250,000 paid robotaxi rides every week in Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco and Austin. The Atlanta service will start with a few dozen cars, but plans are to release a fleet of hundreds in the future across both Austin and Atlanta. The company will also expand to Miami and Washington, D.C., but through the Waymo One app.
Customers in Atlanta can expect a fully autonomous experience. If they’ve clicked on the autonomous ride preference in their Uber app, there’s a better chance they’ll be picked up by a driverless Waymo – one of the company’s electric Jaguar I-PACE SUVs.
The trunk and door can be opened by the passenger, and once inside, they can begin the journey with the push of a button. Right now, the service will only operate within a 65-mile radius, so that counts out trips to the airport. The cost will be about the same as an UberX, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric, and passengers can opt out of the Waymo.
Photo: Waymo
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