Waymo and Uber are preparing to roll out a fully autonomous robotaxi service in Atlanta this summer, marking a major expansion in their ongoing collaboration. The launch will make Atlanta one of the few U.S. cities offering commercial driverless rides through a major ride-hailing platform.
The service will use Waymo’s fleet of self-driving Jaguar I-PACE electric vehicles, which will operate without a safety driver. Riders will be able to access these robotaxis exclusively through the Uber app, as part of the companies’ growing “Waymo on Uber” program. Atlanta will follow Austin, Texas, where the service quietly launched earlier this year.
At launch, the service will cover a 65-square-mile area, including key neighborhoods such as Downtown, Buckhead, and Capitol View. Uber users in the city can now sign up via the app to join a waitlist for early access once rides begin. The phased rollout is expected to help Waymo and Uber fine-tune operations ahead of wider deployment.
In this partnership, Waymo is responsible for the autonomous driving systems and rider support, while Uber manages customer engagement, vehicle maintenance, and charging infrastructure. The collaboration plays to each company’s strengths—Waymo’s deep expertise in autonomous vehicle software and Uber’s dominance in ride-hailing logistics.
The partnership also signals a shift in relationship dynamics. Once fierce legal rivals over trade secrets, Waymo and Uber have since resolved their differences and turned to strategic cooperation. For both companies, autonomous ride-hailing represents a critical bet on the future of urban mobility—and a path to profitability through reduced driver costs and increased scalability.
If successful, the Atlanta launch could set a precedent for robotaxi rollouts in other major U.S. markets, bringing autonomous transportation closer to everyday reality.
