Waymo to End Uber Exclusivity in Austin and Atlanta, Launching Own App in 2028

(WS News) – Waymo is preparing to end its exclusive robotaxi partnership with Uber in Austin and Atlanta, notifying the ride-hailing giant that it plans to launch its own standalone app in both cities starting in January 2028.

The move unwinds an arrangement that began with a limited Phoenix pilot in 2023 and expanded in 2024, when Uber secured exclusive rights to handle rider logistics and vehicle maintenance for Waymo’s self-driving fleet in Austin and Atlanta. Uber launched Waymo rides in Austin in March 2025 and in Atlanta that June, building a service that reached roughly 100 vehicles in Austin and pulled a 4.9-star rider rating. The Phoenix exclusivity arrangement had already ended in June, with Waymo’s vehicles there reverting to the company’s own app and fleet.

Under the existing contract, hundreds of Waymo robotaxis will remain available through Uber in both cities through at least May 2028, and Uber will be free to bring competing autonomous vehicle providers onto its platform in Austin and Atlanta once exclusivity ends. A Waymo spokesperson said riders need “choice in how they experience this technology,” calling it essential to the industry’s future. Uber shares fell more than 4 percent on the news, closing below $66, their lowest level in more than a year.

Behind the scenes, tensions between the two companies had been building for months, according to Bloomberg, with Uber citing what it described as unsustainable economics and safety concerns, including robotaxis driving into flooded roads despite a software recall and incidents of Waymo vehicles illegally passing school buses in Austin. Waymo currently operates robotaxis in nine additional US markets beyond Austin and Atlanta, including San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles, as it pushes to build its own rider base and capture more revenue per trip, a strategy also being pursued by rivals including Tesla and Amazon’s Zoox.