Newsletter Subscription

A Laser Focus World newsletter subscription is free to qualified professionals:

The Daily Beam

Showcases the newest content from Laser Focus World, including photonics- and optics-based applications, components, research, and trends. (Daily)

Product Watch

The latest in products within the photonics industry. (9x per year)

Bio & Life Sciences Product Watch

The latest in products within the biophotonics industry. (4x per year)

Laser Processing Product Watch

The latest in products within the laser processing industry. (3x per year)

Ride Into the Future With Waymo on Uber in Austin

By: Uber Technologies, Inc. via Business Wire

March 04, 2025 at 07:00 AM EST

Starting today, Austin riders can be matched with a Waymo autonomous vehicle (AV) on the Uber app, making your next trip even more special.

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.

In Austin, Waymo rides will only be available on the Uber app. Here’s what you can expect when matched with a Waymo vehicle on Uber:

Request your ride, opt in for a Waymo: Starting today, riders who request an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric could be matched with a Waymo fully autonomous all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicle – at no additional cost. Before a nearby Waymo vehicle is sent your way, you’ll have the option to accept or switch to a non-AV ride.
Familiar app, new experience: Once the Waymo arrives, riders can unlock the vehicle, open the trunk, and start the trip – all from their familiar Uber app. If assistance is needed at any time, riders will have access to 24/7 customer support, accessible in both the Uber app and inside the Waymo vehicle.
Safety is a top priority: Safety is at the heart of what we do, so any AV on the Uber network must meet all our Safety Guidelines. Waymo is already improving road safety in the cities in which it operates, and their vehicles have tens of millions of miles of real-world driving experience navigating complex road conditions using the Waymo Driver’s suite of sensors.
Update your Ride Preferences: Uber customers in Austin who are excited about riding in a Waymo vehicle can boost their chances of getting matched by opting in via the Ride Preferences section of their Uber app under Settings.
Operating area: At launch, riders can travel across 37 square miles of Austin – from Hyde Park, to Downtown, to Montopolis – with plans to expand in the future.

Atlanta is up next! Employees are already taking fully autonomous trips with Waymo in the city, a key step as we prepare to offer Waymo rides to the public there – only on Uber.

At Uber, we’re reimagining how the world moves and building a future where autonomous vehicles and drivers work side by side to help make transportation more affordable, sustainable, and accessible for all.

About Uber

Uber’s mission is to create opportunity through movement. We started in 2010 to solve a simple problem: how do you get access to a ride at the touch of a button? More than 58 billion trips later, we’re building products to get people closer to where they want to be. By changing how people, food, and things move through cities, Uber is a platform that opens up the world to new possibilities.

About Waymo

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the most trusted driver. Since our start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on building the Waymo Driver—The World's Most Experienced Driver™—to improve everyone's access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. Waymo One, our fully autonomous ride-hailing service, serves hundreds of thousands of trips each week to riders in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Austin. The Waymo Driver has autonomously driven tens of millions of miles on public roads and tens of billions in simulation across 13+ U.S. states.

For more: www.waymo.com.