Uber to offer autonomous ride-hailing and delivery using Waymo's robotaxis

Uber's ride-hailing and transportation services volition soon beryllium offered by Waymo's autonomous vehicles -- astatine slightest successful the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area.

On Tuesday, Waymo, a part of Alphabet, announced a multiyear concern with Uber, offering autonomous ride-hailing work and transportation via Uber Eats that volition statesman aboriginal this twelvemonth successful a 180-square-mile operating territory astir Phoenix, which Waymo bills arsenic "the largest afloat autonomous work country successful the world."

The quality comes astir 2 months aft Waymo announced it would marque its Waymo One ride-hailing fleet afloat electric, and expanded conveyance investigating successful Austin, Texas.

"Fully autonomous driving is rapidly becoming portion of mundane life, and we're excited to bring Waymo's unthinkable exertion to the Uber platform," Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said successful a statement.

"Uber has agelong been a person successful human-operated ridesharing, and the pairing of our pioneering exertion and all-electric fleet with their lawsuit web provides Waymo with an accidental to scope adjacent much people," Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo, said.

A typical for Waymo declined to remark connected the presumption of the fiscal partnership.

In the past, the 2 companies were rivals successful the robotaxi space, settling a lawsuit implicit commercialized secrets successful 2018 for $245 million aft Waymo accused Uber of poaching 1 of its starring engineers. Uber besides agreed not to usage Waymo's proprietary accusation successful its operations. In 2020, Uber sold its autonomous car portion to Aurora for a reported $4 billion, successful a bid to prioritize profitability and absorption connected surer bets amid the pandemic, specified arsenic ride-hailing and nutrient delivery.