Google’s sibling company Waymo is partnering with Uber to help bring autonomous driving technology to taxi and delivery networks, the companies announced May 23.
The new multi-year strategic partnership aims to make vehicles operating using Waymo’s autonomous driving system, the Waymo Driver, available via the Uber platform. Starting later in 2023 in Phoenix, customers can hail Waymo vehicles for rides via the Uber app and get food delivered via the Uber Eats app. Riders will also still be able to hail a Waymo vehicle directly through the Waymo One app.
“Uber provides access to a global and reliable marketplace across mobility, delivery, and freight,” Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, said in a statement. “Fully autonomous driving is quickly becoming part of everyday life, and we’re excited to bring Waymo’s incredible technology to the Uber platform.”
Waymo started as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009 and spun off as its own company in 2016, becoming the autonomous driving subsidiary of Alphabet, Google’s parent company. At more than 180 square miles, Waymo’s Phoenix operations are currently the largest fully autonomous service area in the world.
“We’re excited to offer another way for people to experience the enjoyable and life-saving benefits of full autonomy,” Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo, said in a statement. “Uber has long been a leader in human-operated ridesharing, and the pairing of our pioneering technology and all-electric fleet with their customer network provides Waymo with an opportunity to reach even more people.”
Waymo previously announced a partnership with Uber in 2022 to deploy autonomous trucks on the Uber Freight network. Uber Freight’s app matches carriers with shippers, much in the same way Uber’s ride-hailing app connects drivers with those looking for a ride. In the future, carriers that purchase trucks equipped with the Waymo Driver will be able to opt in to Uber Freight’s marketplace through user-friendly applications letting them deploy their autonomous assets on the Uber Freight network. Waymo’s autonomous delivery division, Waymo Via, also intends to reserve billions of miles of its goods-only capacity for the Uber Freight network.
