Abrar Al-Heeti’s Post

Don't it knock till you try it -- my most recent @Waymo ride in Phoenix last week. Comparing the costs of my Waymo rides with Uber rides in Phoenix -- $28+ in Uber and $16+ in Waymo. I'm not sure I would yet trust any other self-driving vehicle other than Waymo. But I've found I'm not nervous or concerned at all while in a Waymo. Even though I love Waymo, I'm skeptical about the business model. Can it find critical mass adoption by the end of the decade? Right now in only Phoenix, Austin, LA, San Francisco and not yet on highways with non-Waymo employees. Latest data I've seen indicates Alphabet/Google's autonomous driving company is providing approximately 2,000 rides weekly in Phoenix. And as of last year, Waymo is available on the Uber app. But it is still a novelty, of sorts. People grabbing their phones to take pictures or videos when they see it (although, it seemed to happen less on this visit than it was happening in November-December.)

Waymo robotaxis to become available on Uber in Austin, Atlanta in early 2025 Uber users in Austin and Atlanta will be able to hail Waymo robotaxis through the app in early 2025 as part of an expanded partnership between the two companies. Waymo’s autonomous vehicles have been available on the Uber app in Phoenix since October 2023. Uber has been snatching up self-driving partnerships across its ride-hail and delivery verticals, and it last month said it was partnering with GM’s Cruise and the U.K.’s Wayve as well. Waymo runs its own autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One, in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles, and provides around 100,000 trips per week, according to the company. The Alphabet-owned AV company began testing robotaxis in Atlanta and shuttling its own employees around Austin earlier this year — usually the first steps Waymo takes before it begins offering its ride-hailing service in new markets. Still, Waymo said only Uber users would be able to hail its fleet of Jaguar I-PACE AVs in Austin and Atlanta. Waymo said a limited number of users will be able to access rides in Austin and Atlanta via the Waymo One app in the coming weeks. Waymo did not mention how many vehicles it would dispatch in the two cities, but said its fleet would “grow to hundreds of vehicles over time.” Uber will handle fleet management, like cleaning and repairing the cars, and Waymo will oversee testing and operation of Waymo Driver, as well as offering roadside assistance and other rider support functions. The company said it would continue to operate Waymo One in its existing and future markets. “As we look to future markets, we’ll consider both our owned and operated Waymo One service, as well as Waymo One partnership models,” Ethan Teicher, a Waymo spokesperson, told TechCrunch. The expansion comes even as Waymo grapples with a federal investigation. Regulators in May received 22 reports of its robotaxis crashing or potentially violating traffic safety laws by driving in the wrong lane or into construction zones. https://lnkd.in/gw6j-nB7

People who are afraid of talkative Uber drivers, rejoice: Driverless taxi rides are one step closer to ubiquity. Waymo One, the ride-hailing service that employs self-driving white Jaguars, is now available to everyone in San Francisco. San Francisco is the second city to go full Waymo, four years after the company opened operations to the general public in Phoenix, Arizona. Not to be confused with John Mulaney’s soda-delivering robot friend, Saymo, Waymo was started 15 years ago as a project within Google’s parent, Alphabet. Multiple tests and destroyed cars later, it stands out as a pioneer in the nascent robotaxi space. And it could be coming to a city near you. Waymo currently offers limited service in Los Angeles and plans to start operating in the San Francisco of Texas—Austin—later this year. Waymo’s success makes it almost easy to forget that it’s had plenty of hiccups: As recently as last month, a probe by the US Highway Traffic Safety Administration discovered safety incidents relating to Waymo’s cars. Waymo recalled software in all its cars earlier this month after one crashed into a telephone pole. In February, a San Francisco crowd set a Waymo car on fire. And yet, Waymo is still cruising. The company said 300,000 people were on its San Francisco waitlist before it opened to the public. Waymo claims that its cars have driven riders over 3.8 million miles across SF as of April. Its next goal…make money. As the company vies for a piece of the market dominated by Uber and Lyft, it hopes to find a way to be profitable and make back some of the billions that Google has spent to develop it. Zoom out: Waymo is the future of the US robotaxi industry. Its closest competitor, GM’s autonomous vehicle unit Cruise, had its licenses in California suspended in October after a series of collisions.

🚗✨ Exciting news for ride-hailing enthusiasts! Waymo's autonomous robotaxis will soon be available on the Uber app in Austin and Atlanta, starting in early 2025. This expansion follows their successful collaboration in Phoenix, where Waymo has been providing rides since October 2023. With this partnership, Uber riders in these new cities will have access to Waymo's fleet of Jaguar I-Paces, enhancing their travel options. While Waymo continues to operate its own service, Waymo One, in markets like San Francisco and Los Angeles, this move signifies a strategic shift towards technology-as-a-service, allowing them to focus on innovation while Uber manages fleet operations. Waymo plans to gradually increase its vehicle fleet in Austin and Atlanta, aiming for hundreds of vehicles over time. However, the company is currently under federal investigation due to reports of its robotaxis encountering safety issues. Stay tuned for more updates as we move closer to this exciting launch! 🚀 #Waymo #Uber #AutonomousVehicles #RideHailing #Innovation #TechNews https://lnkd.in/dkGEfiXp

Waymo and Uber a Fusion into a Symbiotic Relationship. #Convenience #Time #Comfort Starting in early 2025, Waymo and Uber will introduce autonomous ride-hailing services exclusively on the Uber app. Uber will operate a fleet of Waymo's fully autonomous Jaguar I-PACE vehicles, which will gradually expand to hundreds. Riders can enjoy this experience by requesting UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric services. Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber's CEO, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "Soon, riders in Austin and Atlanta will be able to experience that same mobility magic." Co-CEO of Waymo, Tekedra Mawakana, also shared her excitement, mentioning, "We can't wait to bring the comfort, convenience, and safety of the Waymo Driver to these cities in partnership with Uber." This collaboration builds on the success of their existing partnership in Phoenix, where tens of thousands have already experienced fully autonomous trips. Waymo's mission to become the most trusted driver aligns with Uber's commitment to innovation and safety. Stay tuned for a new era of autonomous transportation in Austin and Atlanta! #AutonomousVehicles #Uber #Waymo #Innovation #Time #Safety #FutureofTransportation #Austin #Atlanta #SymbioticSynergy #ecosystem #SystemsThinking #Mutualism #Collaboration

"Uber users in Austin and Atlanta will be able to hail Waymo robotaxis through the app in early 2025 as part of an expanded partnership between the two companies. Waymo’s autonomous vehicles have been available on the Uber app in Phoenix since October 2023. Uber has been snatching up self-driving partnerships across its ride-hail and delivery verticals, and it last month said it was partnering with GM’s Cruise and the U.K.’s Wayve as well. Waymo runs its own autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One, in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles, and provides around 100,000 trips per week, according to the company. The Alphabet-owned AV company began testing robotaxis in Atlanta and shuttling its own employees around Austin earlier this year — usually the first steps Waymo takes before it begins offering its ride-hailing service in new markets. Still, Waymo said only Uber users would be able to hail its fleet of Jaguar I-PACE AVs in Austin and Atlanta." #waymo #uber #autonomousvehicles #robotaxis #finance #equipmentfinance #equipmentleasing #financialservices #corporatefinance https://lnkd.in/gw6j-nB7

Waymo's Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service Now Available To All In San Francisco: An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Alphabet's Waymo said on Tuesday its autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One, is now available to everyone in San Francisco, nearly four years after a similar move in Phoenix, Arizona. Driverless vehicles are expected to drive commercial success for automakers even as regulatory scrutiny remains tight amid concerns of investors about growing investments in the nascent technology. Waymo had started a test service with its research-focused program in San Francisco in 2021, which included an autonomous specialist on board for all rides at that time, as it looked to commercialize the technology. The company said that about 300,000 people had signed up to ride with Waymo since it first opened a waitlist in the city, signaling strong demand. Now with open access, anyone can request a ride on its app. The company had opened access to everyone in Phoenix, Arizona without a waitlist in 2020. Mountain View, California-based Waymo is a self-driving technology pioneer, which started its first U.S. driverless taxi service in 2020 over a decade after it was born in 2009 as a project inside Google. In March, the company received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to start its Waymo One in Los Angeles and some cities near San Francisco. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Waymo's Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service Now Available To All In San Francisco: An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Alphabet's Waymo said on Tuesday its autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One, is now available to everyone in San Francisco, nearly four years after a similar move in Phoenix, Arizona. Driverless vehicles are expected to drive commercial success for automakers even as regulatory scrutiny remains tight amid concerns of investors about growing investments in the nascent technology. Waymo had started a test service with its research-focused program in San Francisco in 2021, which included an autonomous specialist on board for all rides at that time, as it looked to commercialize the technology. The company said that about 300,000 people had signed up to ride with Waymo since it first opened a waitlist in the city, signaling strong demand. Now with open access, anyone can request a ride on its app. The company had opened access to everyone in Phoenix, Arizona without a waitlist in 2020. Mountain View, California-based Waymo is a self-driving technology pioneer, which started its first U.S. driverless taxi service in 2020 over a decade after it was born in 2009 as a project inside Google. In March, the company received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to start its Waymo One in Los Angeles and some cities near San Francisco. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Waymo's Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service Now Available To All In San Francisco: An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Alphabet's Waymo said on Tuesday its autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One, is now available to everyone in San Francisco, nearly four years after a similar move in Phoenix, Arizona. Driverless vehicles are expected to drive commercial success for automakers even as regulatory scrutiny remains tight amid concerns of investors about growing investments in the nascent technology. Waymo had started a test service with its research-focused program in San Francisco in 2021, which included an autonomous specialist on board for all rides at that time, as it looked to commercialize the technology. The company said that about 300,000 people had signed up to ride with Waymo since it first opened a waitlist in the city, signaling strong demand. Now with open access, anyone can request a ride on its app. The company had opened access to everyone in Phoenix, Arizona without a waitlist in 2020. Mountain View, California-based Waymo is a self-driving technology pioneer, which started its first U.S. driverless taxi service in 2020 over a decade after it was born in 2009 as a project inside Google. In March, the company received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to start its Waymo One in Los Angeles and some cities near San Francisco. Read more of this story at Slashdot.