Uber launches driverless Waymo Ubers in Austin, with Atlanta coming soon

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As of March 4, Austin is now the latest city to offer riders the option to book an autonomous Uber powered by Waymo, the ride-hailing giant shared with TPG on Tuesday. Atlanta, the next city to roll out the service, will follow shortly after.

Here's what you need to know about booking a Waymo ride with Uber.

How to request a Waymo ride

Uber riders in eligible cities (Austin, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco) can request a fully autonomous, all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicle via Waymo at no additional cost through the Uber app. Now customers in Austin can adjust their ride preference settings to increase their chances of receiving a Waymo.

Waymo rates mirror those of UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort and Uber Comfort Electric rides. While you may also just receive a Waymo without requesting it when ordering one of those car types, riders can decline Waymo rides in favor of a nonautonomous vehicle at any time.

Riders use the Uber app to unlock the Waymo vehicle upon arrival, open the trunk and start the trip.

Waymo locations

Users in Austin and Atlanta will be able to request Waymo rides directly through the Uber app, while customers in Los Angeles and San Francisco must use the Waymo app to book their rides. Uber customers in Phoenix have the luxury of booking either way.

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Users can reserve a Waymo for local deliveries via Uber Eats in eligible locations.

Bottom line

There have been safety concerns in response to accidents related to autonomous vehicles — after all, this is what led to the demise of Cruise.

However, Uber assures riders have logged "tens of millions of miles of real-world driving experience navigating complex road conditions." To that end, they offer access to a human support team 24 hours a day, both in the app and inside Waymo vehicles.

As stated, in addition to Austin, the company will launch driverless rides in Atlanta soon — though it did not provide an exact date.

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