Waymo and Uber sign ride-hailing, delivery service deal

Alphabet Inc.’s self-driving subsidiary Waymo will put its driverless vehicles on Uber Technologies Inc.’s ride-hailing and food delivery platform later this year.

Uber customers in metro Phoenix, where Waymo operates, will be able to use a set number of driverless vehicles for rides and deliveries, according to a joint blog post by the companies Tuesday.

The multiyear partnership follows Waymo’s early May move to expand its commercial driverless service in metro Phoenix to 180 square miles and its coverage area in San Francisco.

Waymo’s service now stretches across much of Phoenix and its major suburbs. Previously, Waymo operated in downtown Phoenix and the East Valley. Waymo’s expanded service also includes a second pick-up and drop-off location at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed. The number of Waymo vehicles in the Uber fleet will fluctuate, but they will be available via Uber’s app at any time for ride-hailing or local delivery, Waymo spokesperson Katherine Barna told Automotive News.

Waymo said its operating area in metro Phoenix will be the largest contiguous area in which a driverless ride-hailing service is offered.

When the integration between Uber and Waymo is complete, users can access a Waymo Driver on the Uber and Uber Eats mobile apps. Riders can also hail a Waymo vehicle directly through the Waymo One app.

The deal also brings two once-bitter rivals together. In 2016, Anthony Levandowski, a high-ranking engineer with what was then the Google self-driving car project, left the company to found Otto, an autonomous trucking company, which was quickly acquired by Uber. The acquisition led to Waymo suing Uber in 2017 and accusing Levandowski of stealing the company’s intellectual property.

In 2020, Levandowski pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in prison for trade secret theft related to Google’s self-driving car program. In 2021, he was pardoned by President Donald Trump.

Whether Waymo and Uber’s partnership is a part of a 2018 settlement over Waymo’s suit against Uber is unclear. An Alphabet spokesperson has not responded to a request for comment.

Waymo and Uber’s partnership also comes on the heels of both companies announcing layoffs earlier in the year.

“Uber has long been a leader in human-operated ridesharing, and the pairing of our pioneering technology and all-electric fleet with their customer network provides Waymo with an opportunity to reach even more people,” Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said in Tuesday’s blog post.

Waymo said it now offers more than 10,000 trips per week across Phoenix and San Francisco, not including employee rides. By summer 2024, it intends to expand to 100,000 trips per week, in total, for both markets.

“Uber provides access to a global and reliable marketplace across mobility, delivery, and freight,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in the blog post. “Fully autonomous driving is quickly becoming part of everyday life, and we’re excited to bring Waymo’s incredible technology to the Uber platform.”