Uber will now pair Austin riders with Waymo self-driving cars

Starting today, if you call an Uber in Austin you can match with a self-driving Waymo vehicle. 

The launch in the Texas capital is part of an expanded partnership between the two tech companies. Waymo’s autonomous vehicles are already available on the Uber platform in Phoenix, and the companies plan to launch next in Atlanta. 

“With Waymo’s technology and Uber’s proven platform, we’re excited to introduce our customers to a future of transportation that is increasingly electric and autonomous,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement. 

Austin riders who request an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric can be matched with a Waymo all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicle at no additional cost. Riders will receive a notification each time they’re matched with an autonomous vehicle and have the option to accept or switch to a non-AV ride. Customers can then rate their experience in the app like with a traditional Uber ride, but will forgo the option to tip. 

Curious Uber customers can boost their chances of getting matched with a Waymo by opting in through the “Ride Preferences” section of their Uber app under Settings. The Austin launch also conveniently comes just ahead of the popular SXSW festival, which is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to the area. 

Uber’s self-driving expansion is part of its play to get back into the autonomous vehicles space after selling off its AV unit in December 2020. Rather than building its own tech, which is time consuming and extremely expensive, it’s chosen to partner with third-party companies. Uber said Tuesday it had 14 AV partners to date.

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