A new era is beginning for Uber and Waymo. Former competitors, the two companies have decided to work hand in hand. Since their creation in 2009, Waymo and Uber have each had their own way of revolutionising access to mobility. Today, the two entities are collaborating to combine cutting-edge autonomous driving technology with the massive scale of a ride-hailing and delivery network. The two US giants have teamed up as part of an agreement to boost the use of autonomous cars…
Fully secure driverless journeys
In partnership with Waymo, Uber Technologies Inc will offer driverless cars on its ride-hailing and delivery platform. The project is planned for the end of the year 2023 in the city of Phoenix. Waymo spokeswoman Katherine Barna was delighted with the partnership. However, she insisted on keeping the exact number of robotaxis made available under this agreement secret. She did say that these autonomous cars will not be exclusively for Uber. Users of the Waymo One application will also be able to request a robotaxi for their trips. The choice of the Arizona capital to launch this partnership is not insignificant. Indeed, for more than 5 years, Phoenix has been Waymo’s playground. Clearly, it is here that it is testing its autonomous car service over 400 square kilometers. Uber’s users will be able to discover the safety and pleasure of the Waymo driver on the Uber and Uber Eats applications.
We’re excited to offer another way for people to enjoy the fun and life-saving benefits of total autonomy. Uber has long been a leader in on-demand transportation, and combining our pioneering technology and all-electric fleet with their network of customers gives Waymo the opportunity to reach even more people.
Tekedra Mawakana, co-PDG of Waymo
A complicated start between Uber and Waymo
Admittedly, this agreement is historic in scope. In February 2017, Alphabet, the company that owns Waymo, filed a complaint against Uber and its subsidiary Otto. The complaint accused them of “theft of trade secrets and patent infringement”. The case did not last long, as both parties quickly reached an out-of-court settlement. Moreover, this is not the first association between Uber and Waymo. Indeed, this is the second partnership between the two companies. In June 2022, they announced an agreement for the autonomous transport of goods over long distances. It would appear that the feud is ancient history, as today Uber and Waymo say they are “looking forward to providing a safe, enjoyable, fully electric and autonomous experience”.
Fully autonomous driving will quickly become a part of everyday life, and we’re excited to bring Waymo’s incredible technology to the Uber platform.
DaraKhosrowshahi, PDG OF Uber.
About Waymo
Waymo is a self-driving technology company whose mission is to enable people and things to get to a predefined location easily and safely. It is owned by Alphabet, a company owned by Google. Since its inception as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on improving access to mobility around the world while saving thousands of lives now lost in traffic accidents. To date, Waymo has logged tens of millions of miles on public roads and tens of billions of miles in simulation.
