Uber revealed on Friday that it will be extending its collaboration with Waymo, a division of Alphabet, to provide robotaxi trips in Austin, Texas, and Atlanta starting in early 2025.
Uber users in particular cities may be paired with an autonomous Waymo vehicle for select journeys. Unlike in San Francisco and Los Angeles, where users book using the Waymo app, the rides will only be available through the Uber app. there are no plans to collaborate with Uber in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
With Tesla’s robotaxi event scheduled for October 10, investors are pressuring Uber to accelerate its autonomous car strategy, which is why the company is expanding.
In addition to declining 17% from their 52-week highs, Uber’s shares have lost 9% since the announcement of the Tesla event. Furthermore, it might lessen Waymo’s attempt to steal market share from Uber.
By May 2024, Waymo’s 50,000 paid rides each week would account for only 2% of San Francisco’s ride-sharing business. Waymo has since increased its weekly total of paid robotaxi journeys to 100,000.
Source (CNBC)
