Uber, Waymo launch 'interest list' for autonomous rides in Atlanta
Uber and Alphabet's Waymo – partners in the race to dominate the self-driving industry – are rapidly expanding operations and working to attract riders ahead of their Atlanta launch this summer.
Uber opened an "interest list" on Tuesday, so local riders can boost their chances of being matched with a Waymo vehicle when the service rolls out. While Uber hasn’t announced an exact launch date, Atlanta will be the second city to feature the co-branded, fully autonomous, all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles.
The service first launched in Austin in March. Since then, Uber said the "vast majority" of customers in the area have opted to ride in a Waymo autonomous vehicle when they had the opportunity.
UBER OFFERING DRIVERLESS RIDES IN MAJOR TEXAS CITY
A growing list of companies, including many heavy hitters in the auto industry, are racing to make autonomous driving a reality by investing heavily in developing their own self-driving technology. But as the majority of companies heavily invested in their own operations, Uber dumped its program for an entirely new strategy.
In 2020, it sold its autonomous vehicle research division, Uber Advanced Technologies Group, to self-driving car startup Aurora and created partnerships with more than a dozen autonomous vehicle partners, including Waymo, Volvo, Cartken and Nuro, to bring the technology to market and co-brand their efforts. To date, the company has 14 autonomous vehicle partners. It partnered with Waymo in 2022.
Uber also has autonomous delivery programs available in 11 cities with six partners.
UBER PARTNERS WITH WAYMO TO PROVIDE AUTONOMOUS DRIVING TECH TO RIDESHARE USERS IN ARIZONA
Its rideshare rival Lyft also set its sights on integrating autonomous vehicles into its ride-hailing platform. The company teamed up with a technology company known as May Mobility to launch a fleet of autonomous Toyota Sienna minivans in Atlanta this year. The goal is to scale the partnership over time across multiple markets.
In 2026, Lyft is launching autonomous driving in Dallas with Mobileye and Marubeni.
Atlanta riders who want to experience fully autonomous Waymo rides can join the interest list to get updates from Uber. Select riders who join the Interest List may also get access to Waymo rides ahead of the public launch.
How to get on Uber's interest list
What to expect when it launches