From the 9-16-24 Austin American-Statesman:

Do you have more about autonomous Uber vehicles?  See below:

Uber to offer self-driving service in Austin

Waymo, ride-hailing firm to team up for service

Beck Andrew Salgado

Austin American-Statesman USA TODAY NETWORK

The next time you step into an Uber, you might be the only person in the car.

Well, maybe not next time, but soon. Uber and self-driving car company Waymo announced Friday that selfdriving ride-hailing service is just months away as the companies are partnering to pioneer autonomous vehicles in the ride-hailing industry.

The service, called the Waymo One experience, is already running in three U.S. cities and is set to expand next into Austin and Atlanta — both cities where Waymo has already been testing selfdriving cars. The feature will be available only on the Uber app and is set to be offered beginning in early 2025.

When driverless rides start, they will do so via a fleet of Waymo’s fully autonomous, all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles, which both companies say they plan to grow into hundreds of vehicles over time.

“Waymo’s mission is to be the world’s most trusted driver, and we’re excited to launch this expanded network and operations partnership with Uber in Austin and Atlanta to bring the benefits of fully autonomous driving to more riders,” said Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo. “We’ve been delighted at the positive feedback from our Waymo One riders to date, and we can’t wait to bring the comfort, convenience, and safety of the Waymo Driver to these cities in partnership with Uber.” In an announcement, Uber said it would provide fleet management services including vehicle cleaning, repair and other general depot operations. Waymo will continue to be responsible for the testing and operation of the Waymo Driver, including roadside assistance and certain rider support func-

tions.

“We’re thrilled to build on our successful partnership with Waymo, which has already powered fully autonomous trips for tens of thousands of riders in Phoenix,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. “Soon, riders in Austin and Atlanta will be able to experience that same mobility magic, through a new fleet of dedicated, autonomous Waymo vehicles, available only on Uber.”

Waymo One is already present in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles, and in those cities it provides more than 100,000 trips each week.

Waymo said it has already begun providing fully autonomous rides to its employees in Austin. It added that ahead of a full launch, the company plans to welcome a limited number of early riders into the Waymo One app before fully transitioning to the Uber app next year.

In May, the American- Statesman reported that Waymo was at the center of a federal investigation concerning safety and oversight of the company.

On May 13, reports that Waymo self-driving cars were causing traffic problems in various cities spurred a preliminary evaluation of the company by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The company is under investigation for collisions or traffic violations in nearly two dozen incidents, according to USA Today.

NHTSA is investigating the fifth generation of cars made by Waymo, which is owned by Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google. The agency plans to focus on the cars’ automated driving system and its ability to detect and respond to traffic control devices, according to NHTSA’s notice.

None of the accidents under investigation occurred in Austin, but 17 separate accidents were identified by NHTSA data.