Waymo Expands Robotaxi Service to Austin, Texas, Partnering with Uber for Ride-Booking and Fleet Maintenance

Waymo has launched its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, marking its fourth city of operation. The Alphabet subsidiary is partnering with Uber for ride-booking through the Uber app and for maintaining its electric vehicle fleet. The service will initially cover a 37-square mile area expected to have high demand. Uber will operate a service depot in Austin to handle charging and maintenance, a departure from Waymo's approach in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Waymo's head of business development, Nicole Gavel, noted that riders will access Waymo exclusively via the Uber app. Waymo provides over 200,000 paid rides weekly across its existing cities and completed over 4 million rides in 2024. The company plans to launch in Atlanta later this year with a similar Uber partnership and expand to Miami in 2026. Waymo also plans to add Zeekr electric vans and test modified Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicles to its fleet.