Good news, Phoenix. There’s now another way to catch a ride with the Waymo Driver.
Starting today, Uber customers can get matched with a fully autonomous, all-electric Waymo ride — with no human driver behind the wheel—in the 225+ square miles of Metro Phoenix where Waymo currently operates.
When an Uber customer requests an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric ride through the Uber app, they’ll have the option to confirm a ride in a Waymo vehicle if matched to one. This is the first launch of our strategic partnership with Uber we announced earlier this year.
“Our partnership with Uber gives their riders the chance to experience the Waymo Driver,” said Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo. “As we continue to scale, we want as many people as possible to experience the safety, consistency and delight of riding with the Waymo Driver.”
Bringing the Waymo Driver to more people in more places
Riders will still be able to hail the Waymo Driver directly through the Waymo One app, available to the public in Metro Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and soon, Austin.
Tens of thousands of people hail the Waymo Driver every month in Metro Phoenix, and the Waymo Driver currently provides more than 10,000 rides each week in the region—over a thousand of which are to or from Sky Harbor International Airport.
We’re proud of the rider community we’re building in Metro Phoenix—the result of years spent developing a genuinely useful service in the market. This month marks five years since we first launched Waymo One in Chandler, Arizona, and three years of offering our fully autonomous service to the public. In that time, we’ve quintupled the size of our service area in Phoenix, making it the largest AV ride-hailing territory in the world.
Scaling the benefits of full autonomy
Our partnership with Uber allows us to expand the benefits of safe, reliable, autonomous driving technology and lets more people experience the excitement of riding with Waymo. We’re delighted to welcome even more riders into Waymo vehicles with Uber.
SOURCE: Waymo