(Credit: Uber)
If you’re in Austin and eager to take a Waymo robotaxi, you can now join a waitlist to be among the first to experience the service via the Uber app.
Update the Uber app and navigate to Account > Settings > Ride Preferences > Autonomous Vehicles > Join interest list. This will improve your chances of being matched with a Waymo robotaxi whenever the service goes live, Uber says.
The two companies have not provided an exact date for the rollout but said it will be available across 37 square miles of Austin—from Hyde Park to Downtown to Montopolis—at launch, with more territories to be added later.
(Credit: Uber)Waymo started offering autonomous rides in Austin to a select group in October, shortly after it announced that its Jaguar I-PACE electric robotaxis would be available through the Uber app in Austin and Atlanta in 2025.
If matched with a Waymo robotaxi, Uber users will receive up-front pricing as usual, and the rates will match UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric, Uber says. Customers unlock the car and start the trip using the app. If needed, they can contact the 24x7 human support on both the Uber app and inside the Waymo car.
“We’re excited to partner with Waymo as we build the future of transportation, which will combine the best of both autonomous and human drivers in the years ahead,” said Andrew Macdonald, SVP of Mobility & Business Operations at Uber.
Waymo currently operates in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles; we took a test drive in LA last year. The company will also bring the service to Miami in 2026 and test it in 10 other locations this year.
Waymo’s announcement comes after Elon Musk announced that Tesla would bring its robotaxis to Texas, too. “We’re going to be launching unsupervised Full Self Driving [FSD] as a paid service in Austin in June," the Tesla CEO said in an earnings call last week.