Waymo is taking its Austin and Atlanta riders back from Uber. The company will end its exclusivity with Uber in those two markets starting in January 2028 and offer rides through its own app, co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana told Bloomberg News, as reported by TechCrunch.
Mawakana said Waymo partnered with Uber early on for scale, but «it was a little bit of a crapshoot. Will I get a Waymo? Will I not get a Waymo?» She added: «It's important for us to have that relationship with the rider.»
Uber told TechCrunch it still plans to host Waymo robotaxis on its app for as long as the companies agree, and told Bloomberg it was Waymo's idea not to add a direct robotaxi booking option. The Financial Times had reported earlier this year that Waymo wanted out of the deal, which was set to run to May 2028.
The New York Post notes Waymo runs roughly 4,000 vehicles in 14 U.S. cities, and that Tesla has also leaned on its own robotaxi app rather than ride-hailing networks.
