Uber, Waymo launch robotaxi service in Atlanta amid intensifying autonomous race

Uber and Alphabet’s autonomous driving arm, Waymo, have officially launched public robotaxi rides in Atlanta, expanding their partnership to a second US city after Austin, Texas. Beginning from June 24, Atlanta residents can now hail fully driverless, all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles equipped with Waymo’s proprietary self-driving technology directly through the Uber app. The service rollout covers a 65-square-mile area encompassing major neighbourhoods like Downtown, Buckhead, and Capitol View, though the robotaxis will not yet travel on highways or to the airport. Initially operating with a small fleet, the companies aim to gradually scale operations to hundreds of vehicles, following the Austin model.

Rides in a Waymo robotaxi will be priced the same as UberX, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric, and no tipping will be prompted for driverless rides. Customers can opt into autonomous rides in the Uber app’s Ride Preferences section, improving their odds of being matched with one of Waymo’s vehicles.

What is different from Tesla?

Unlike Tesla’s pilot robotaxi service recently launched in Austin, Waymo's robotaxis in Atlanta operate fully autonomously with no human safety driver on board. The vehicles use a mix of lidar, radar, and camera sensors, a technology that Tesla currently does not use. Waymo's vehicles also feature in-car screens that allow riders to unlock doors, open trunks, and begin trips directly or through the Uber app. In contrast, Tesla's pilot service uses Model Y vehicles in a limited geofenced area with a valet in the front passenger seat for safety. Tesla’s invite-only service runs only during daytime hours.

Uber, which once ran its own self-driving division before selling it in 2020 after a high-profile pedestrian fatality in Arizona, now works with over a dozen autonomous tech companies, including Waymo and China’s WeRide. The company says it has reached an annual run rate of 1.5 million robotaxi and delivery robot trips on its network.

While Waymo One, Waymo’s standalone ride-hailing app, is operational in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles, it won’t be used in Atlanta. Instead, passengers will be directed exclusively to Uber’s app. The Atlanta launch comes 283 days after Uber and Waymo first identified the city as a future site and just months after driverless testing began in January 2025, followed by early rider trials in May.

Autonomous future accelerates

The race to dominate the autonomous ride-hailing sector is heating up. Waymo now conducts over 250,000 rides weekly across its four active markets: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin. It has also applied for testing permits in New York City and plans to launch in Miami and Washington, D.C.

Atlanta’s debut comes at a pivotal moment, as autonomous technology increasingly moves from experimental to operational. Uber shares rose 2.75 per cent in premarket trading following the announcement, reflecting investor optimism around the potential of self-driving mobility.

With safety and scalability at the forefront, both companies are betting on consumer adoption, regulatory approval, and sustained investment to accelerate their robotaxi ambitions.