Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Uber and Waymo
Uber passengers in Austin seemingly can’t get enough of Waymo’s robotaxis, with the 100 or so Waymo vehicles operating on the Uber app already busier than the human drivers they share the road with.
“These approximately 100 vehicles are now busier than over 99% of all drivers in Austin in terms of completed trips per day,” CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in prepared remarks after Uber announced its first-quarter earnings on Wednesday.
Khosrowshahi said the two companies plan to scale their autonomous fleet in Austin to “hundreds” of Waymos in the coming months, ahead of the launch of Waymo’s robotaxis on the Uber app in Atlanta later this year.
Thanks to its hands-off regulations, Austin has become a hotspot for autonomous vehicles. In March, Uber began offering Waymo vehicles exclusively on its app for the first time in the city.
The two companies will soon face competition from Tesla, which is due to launch its own robotaxi service in Austin in June.
Uber drivers in Austin previously told Business Insider they were concerned about the long-term impact of Waymo’s arrival, while others in LA and Phoenix have said competition from the driverless taxis is already hurting earnings.
Uber has abandoned plans to build its own robotaxis in recent years in favor of partnering with a host of self-driving car companies.
The ride-hailer has struck deals with 18 autonomous vehicle companies to offer their vehicles on the Uber app, including Volkswagen and Waymo in the US and Chinese firms WeRide and Pony.AI in Europe and the Middle East.
In comments after Uber released its first quarter earnings, Khosrowshahi said self-driving cars were the “single greatest opportunity ahead for Uber,” adding the company was “laser-focused” on adding as many robotaxis to its platform as possible.
Uber’s earnings on Wednesday missed Wall Street’s expectations for revenue. It reported $42.8 billion in revenue for the quarter, below the consensus forecast of $43.1 billion.
Rideshare booking growth also slowed, with the company’s stock falling almost 5% in premarket trade on the back of the results.
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