Uber and Waymo roll out driverless rides in Austin before Tesla
Starting today, if you hail an Uber in Austin, it might not have a driver. Uber is now offering the public the ability to opt in for rides in Waymo’s driverless Jaguars in the city. The Waymo app will no longer be operational in Austin and Uber will be the only way to hail a Waymo ride there. The move is just in time for Austin’s SXSW festival, which is expected to bring in 300,000 people to the city.
Uber says such Waymo rides will be available in Atlanta next. Last fall, Uber and Google-owned Waymo announced their plan to team up on driverless rides in Austin and Atlanta in 2025 .
That means Uber and Waymo have beaten Tesla, which is headquartered in the city, to the market. On its January earnings call, Tesla Technoking Elon Musk said that Tesla’s own paid self-driving car service would be available in Austin in June. “Teslas will be in the wild with no one in them in June in Austin,” Musk said.
Of course, Musk has notoriously been optimistic — if not outright wrong — about product timelines.
Uber says such Waymo rides will be available in Atlanta next. Last fall, Uber and Google-owned Waymo announced their plan to team up on driverless rides in Austin and Atlanta in 2025 .
That means Uber and Waymo have beaten Tesla, which is headquartered in the city, to the market. On its January earnings call, Tesla Technoking Elon Musk said that Tesla’s own paid self-driving car service would be available in Austin in June. “Teslas will be in the wild with no one in them in June in Austin,” Musk said.
Of course, Musk has notoriously been optimistic — if not outright wrong — about product timelines.
