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Waymo confirms it will split with Uber in January 2028

By · Via TechCrunch · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana confirmed the company will cease offering autonomous rides through the Uber platform in Austin and Atlanta starting in January 2028. After the split, passengers in those cities will book trips directly through the proprietary Waymo smartphone app. Rider feedback revealed frustration with unpredictable bookings that mixed robotaxis with human drivers, prompting the early departure. Uber, which collaborates with various robotaxi developers, noted that Waymo had previously declined to add a dedicated autonomous booking option inside the Uber app.

Key points

  • Transitioning to a proprietary mobile app enables Waymo to maintain direct customer relat…: Transitioning to a proprietary mobile app enables Waymo to maintain direct customer relationships in every operating market.
  • Mixed fleet dispatching under Uber created unpredictable rider experiences because passen…: Mixed fleet dispatching under Uber created unpredictable rider experiences because passengers could not guarantee an autonomous vehicle pickup.
  • Uber will continue to pursue autonomous ride-hailing services through separate agreements…: Uber will continue to pursue autonomous ride-hailing services through separate agreements with other robotaxi developers.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Waymo will officially split with Uber in the Austin and Atlanta markets starting in January 2028, co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana told Bloomberg News in a report published Wednesday.

The robotaxi company will instead offer rides directly through its own smartphone app, like it does in other cities. Mawakana’s comments confirm reporting earlier this year by the Financial Times that Waymo was looking to get out of its deal with Uber, which was set to expire in May 2028.

Mawakana told Bloomberg that Waymo initially partnered with Uber because the ride-hail giant offered scale. But the experience for riders has been “a little bit of a crapshoot,” she said, especially because riders never know for sure if they’re going to hail a robotaxi or a human-driven car.

“It’s important for us to have that relationship with the rider. We’ve gotten that feedback from the riders in those markets,” Mawakana said.

Uber — which has many robotaxi and other autonomous vehicle partners — told Bloomberg that it was Waymo’s idea not to add an option in the ride-hail giant’s app to book a…

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