Waymo has gotten one step closer to a commercial launch in Austin by early 2025. This week, the company will open its fully autonomous ride-hailing service to certain members of the public in the city as it gears up to partner with Uber next year.
The initial riders will have 24/7 access to the service via the Waymo One app for now until Waymo transitions fully to the Uber app. Waymo two weeks ago said it would offer its robotaxis exclusively through the Uber app in Austin and Atlanta next year. Waymo is already offering fully autonomous rides via Uber in Phoenix.
The company has been offering autonomous rides to employees in Austin since March.
Waymo didn’t respond in time to TechCrunch to clarify whether it would charge customers who signed up to the waitlist in Austin for initial rides, but the company’s playbook is usually to offer those rides for free at first.
The service will be available via the Uber app across 37 square miles of the city, from Parker Lane and Montopolis in the south to Hyde Park and Tarrytown in the north.
Waymo did not share how many vehicles would be involved in the trial, but the company told TechCrunch previously that Uber users would be hailing its fleet of Jaguar I-PACE AVs in Austin and Atlanta.
Waymo is also working with Chinese automaker Zeekr on a purpose-built AV, and recently posted a teaser that said: “keep your eyes peeled as we continue testing our 6th-gen Waymo Driver on the Zeekr platform across our Waymo One cities this fall.”
Waymo One is Waymo’s own ride-hailing service that operates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Waymo will be offering rides in Austin via the Uber app this week. It will offer rides via its Waymo One app until it integrates with Uber in early 2025.
