Waymo and Uber $UBER have ended their robotaxi partnership in Phoenix, Arizona, the two companies confirmed Monday, closing out a nearly three-year arrangement that served as the first market where the companies worked together.
The nearly three-year pilot wrapped up last month after hundreds of thousands of trips; Uber says it will announce a new autonomous vehicle partner in the city
Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Uber and Waymo
Waymo and Uber $UBER have ended their robotaxi partnership in Phoenix, Arizona, the two companies confirmed Monday, closing out a nearly three-year arrangement that served as the first market where the companies worked together.
The ride-hailing portion of the program concluded last month, according to Bloomberg. Waymo said the vehicles it had dedicated to the Uber pilot have been folded back into its own Phoenix fleet and remain available through the Waymo app, as well as through a delivery agreement with DoorDash and a public transit partnership with Via Transportation.
"This was a productive pilot that paved the way for future expansions and partnerships across the globe," a Waymo spokesperson said in a statement. "After hundreds of thousands of trips with Uber, we have integrated these vehicles back into our Phoenix fleet."
An Uber spokesperson described the arrangement as deliberately small in scope. "Phoenix was our first pilot market with Waymo and was an intentionally limited deployment, reaching just over a dozen vehicles dedicated to the program," the spokesperson said. Uber also noted that experience gained in Phoenix accelerated its ability to build out operations in Austin and Atlanta, two markets where the Uber app now gives riders access to hundreds of Waymo autonomous vehicles. Uber told TechCrunch that the two companies parted ways in Phoenix because they had reached the contracted end date.
Uber said it plans to announce a new autonomous vehicle partner in Phoenix but has not named the company.
The "Waymo on Uber" partnership expanded to Atlanta earlier, following an earlier rollout in Austin. The collaboration divides operational duties, with Uber taking on tasks like charging and maintenance logistics and Waymo responsible for the self-driving technology, real-time oversight, and support for passengers. Waymo vehicles in Austin and Atlanta are available on Uber, where fares align with standard UberX and Comfort pricing.
According to TechCrunch, the Alphabet $GOOGL-owned company's fleet has grown to roughly 4,000 vehicles, with weekly trip volume now exceeding 500,000 across more than 10 U.S. cities. Plans for the year include a rollout in approximately 20 additional markets, and CNBC reports that Nashville riders will be able to hail Waymo vehicles through Lyft $LYFT.
The end of the Phoenix program comes as the two companies prepare to compete against each other directly in London. Separately, Waymo has disclosed two voluntary software recalls in recent weeks, one of which was tied to a flaw that enabled its vehicles to enter active freeway construction zones in Phoenix without stopping.
Join 500,000+ readers who start their day with Quartz.
By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.