Waymo plans direct app bookings in Austin and Atlanta from 2028

Waymo plans to end Uber’s exclusive role in Austin and Atlanta in January 2028, allowing passengers in both cities to request its driverless vehicles directly through the Waymo app. The change would give riders a second booking route in markets where the service has so far been available only through Uber.

The existing commercial agreement is set to expire in May 2028. Uber has said it intends to continue listing Waymo vehicles on its app for as long as both companies agree, meaning the end of exclusivity does not itself end their partnership.

Uber said it had proposed a dedicated robotaxi-booking option within its app for Austin and Atlanta, but that Waymo declined. Drive Tesla reported that Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said the company wanted a direct relationship with riders and had received feedback in both markets supporting that approach.

Currently, an Uber customer in either city can express a preference for a Waymo, but can be matched only when a vehicle is nearby and the trip is within the service area. A Waymo ride cannot be guaranteed, even when a rider selects the preference. Mawakana described the arrangement as “a little bit of a crapshoot” because a rider may receive either a robotaxi or a human-driven car.

The companies announced in 2024 that they would bring autonomous ride-hailing to Austin and Atlanta from early 2025, exclusively through Uber. Uber agreed to manage and dispatch the fleet, including cleaning, repairs and depot operations, while Waymo retained responsibility for testing and operating the Waymo Driver, roadside assistance and some rider-support functions.

That partnership uses all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles and was expected to grow to hundreds of cars across the two markets. Waymo initially turned to Uber for its rider scale, Mawakana said, but now sees its own app as a way to offer a more predictable booking experience.

Uber’s platform had already powered fully autonomous Waymo trips for tens of thousands of riders in Phoenix before the Austin and Atlanta expansion, according to the companies’ 2024 announcement.