SAN FRANCISCO, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Waymo and Uber said on Tuesday that their commercial robotaxi service will expand to Atlanta in the U.S. state of Georgia.
The service will initially cover about 65 square miles in Atlanta. Waymo's fleet in Atlanta is in the "dozens" and will eventually be expanded over time, the company said.
Uber said it has an annual run rate of 1.5 million mobility and delivery trips by autonomous vehicles in partnerships with 18 autonomous vehicle companies on its network. Waymo said it provides 250,000 paid robotaxi rides every week across Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco.
Robotaxi rides will cost the same as an UberX, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric driven by a human, the companies said.
The "Waymo on Uber" service splits the responsibilities of owning and operating a fleet of driverless vehicles. Uber handles the charging, maintenance, and cleaning of the autonomous vehicles, and manages access to the robotaxis via its app. Meanwhile, Waymo monitors the tech and the autonomous operations, including roadside assistance and certain aspects of rider support, according to a report by TechCrunch.
Last September, Uber and Waymo announced plans to offer robotaxi service in Austin and Atlanta in early 2025 as part of an expanded partnership. In March, the companies started offering the "Waymo on Uber" robotaxi service in Austin. Waymo has more than 100 robotaxis in its commercial fleet in Austin, according to the company.
