Uber shifted gears in Austin, Texas, earlier this week, launching a landmark service that lets riders hail driverless cars through its app, thanks to a partnership with Waymo, the autonomous vehicle arm of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. This rollout, announced in a joint statement from Uber and Waymo, marks the first time Austinites can summon a fully autonomous Waymo vehicle—specifically, an all-electric Jaguar I-PACE—by requesting an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric ride. Covering a 37-square-mile swath of the city, from downtown to Hyde Park and Montopolis, this service blends cutting-edge technology with the familiar convenience of Uber’s platform, offering a glimpse into the future of urban mobility.
The collaboration, live since earlier this week, builds on a partnership first unveiled in September 2023, with Austin now…