Waymo Launches Autonomous Rides in Austin Ahead of 2025 Uber Partnership
Waymo opens its fully autonomous ride-hailing service to select Austin residents via the Waymo One app, paving the way for an exclusive Uber integration in early 2025.
Waymo expands its autonomous ride-hailing service to select members of the public in Austin this week. These initial riders access the fully driverless vehicles 24/7 through the Waymo One app until the company transitions completely to the Uber platform in early 2025. This early access program represents a major step toward Waymo's official commercial launch in the city.
The current Austin service covers a 37-square-mile area, stretching from Parker Lane and Montopolis in the south to Hyde Park and Tarrytown in the north. Riders hail Waymo's fleet of Jaguar I-PACE electric vehicles, and while the company does not confirm pricing for this trial phase, it typically offers complimentary rides during initial public testing periods.
This Austin rollout is part of a broader strategy that already includes fully autonomous Uber rides in Phoenix and planned expansions into Atlanta next year. Additionally, Waymo is actively testing its sixth-generation autonomous driving system on a new purpose-built vehicle platform developed in partnership with Chinese automaker Zeekr across its existing operational cities.