Uber and Alphabet’s Waymo have launched public robotaxi rides in the United States as part of their expanding partnership.
Available through the Uber app, the service operates within a 65-square-mile area of Atlanta but does not yet include highways or airport trips.
The fully autonomous rides use electric Jaguar I-PACE SUVs powered by Waymo’s self-driving technology, known as the Waymo Driver.
The companies announced in September plans to expand Waymo One to both Austin, Texas, and Atlanta.
Service launched in Austin in March, giving Waymo a head start in the Texas capital ahead of Elon Musk’s Tesla.
Tesla, now headquartered in Austin, rolled out a limited pilot of its own robotaxi service there over the weekend, available by invitation only.
Waymo’s robotaxis in Austin, Atlanta, and other locations run fully driverless, with no human onboard, and use advanced lidar and radar sensors—tools not featured in Tesla’s current vehicles.
Once considered a leader in autonomous driving, Tesla is now working to close the gap with rivals like Waymo, as well as Chinese contenders such as Baidu’s Apollo Go and WeRide, which also collaborates with Uber.
In Atlanta and Austin, Waymo rides can be booked exclusively through the Uber app, whereas in San Francisco and Los Angeles, passengers use the dedicated Waymo One app to hail rides.