Uber Technologies and Google’s autonomous driving unit Waymo have formed a partnership to offer driverless cars on Uber’s platform.
Starting with Phoenix, Arizona, the companies will launch the service later this year.
The alliance will allow Uber customers to access a set number of Waymo vehicles for rides and deliveries within Waymo’s 180 square miles of fully autonomous service area in the state.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said: “Uber provides access to a global and reliable marketplace across mobility, delivery, and freight. Fully autonomous driving is quickly becoming part of everyday life, and we are excited to bring Waymo’s incredible technology to the Uber platform.”
Making fully autonomous vehicles, particularly robotaxis, commercially available has proven to be more challenging than anticipated
The challenges stem from stringent regulations, intricate technological requirements, and substantial investments forcing companies to cut jobs.
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By GlobalDataIn March this year, Waymo cut over 100 jobs, according to Reuters.
Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said: “Uber has long been a leader in human-operated ridesharing, and the pairing of our pioneering technology and all-electric fleet with their customer network provides Waymo with an opportunity to reach even more people.”
Last June, Uber and Waymo, once rivals, announced a partnership to deploy autonomous trucks at scale.
In 2017, Waymo filed a lawsuit against Uber over trade secrets related to autonomous driving technology. Subsequently, Uber agreed to pay $245m to Waymo to settle the case.