Calling An Uber At This Airport In The Southwest May Get You A Driverless Car

Whether you're visiting Phoenix, Arizona, for some hot-air ballooning, doing a little desert hiking, or visiting the Yayoi Kusama fireflies exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum, you're likely flying into the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Taxis can be expensive, so you may decide to set up an Uber ride on your phone so you don't have to wait in the taxi line (or deal with the common travel scams that often go along with them). If you do so at the Phoenix Airport, you have the option to take a Waymo driverless car. Uber partnered with Waymo in late 2023 in Phoenix, and as of 2024, 24/7 pick-ups and drop-offs are available at Terminals 3 and 4. If you request an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort, or Uber Comfort Electric ride in the app, you'll have the option to take a fully autonomous vehicle — something that, not so long ago, was only part of the science fiction world.

Though you could get a Waymo driverless car before the Uber partnership in Phoenix through the Waymo One app, bringing the service to Uber may entice some skeptical people to try out the new technology. Hey, at least you won't have to make small talk with your driver if you're not in the mood.

Airport trips can be a hassle, and this is yet another option to avoid having to drive and park yourself. That said, not having a driver may freak you out at first, and it makes sense. Driverless cars can seem like something out of a futuristic film. However, Waymo's website explains that there have been 81% fewer airbag deployment crashes than there were with human-driven cars, 72% fewer injury-causing crashes, and 57% fewer police-reported crashes. In addition, since their deployment, Waymo cars have already driven 25 million miles as of July 2024. 

There are a few things you should know before you order your Waymo, whether through Uber or the Waymo One app. First, if you're traveling in a Waymo driverless vehicle with someone under the age of 8, you have to bring a booster seat and secure it yourself. They also can't sit in the front. The service doesn't cover everywhere in the state, so availability varies based on your destination. That said, Waymo covers hundreds of square miles in Metro Phoenix, Scottsdale (home of America's largest butterfly pavilion), and parts of Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler (you can see the coverage map here).

If you're still worried about driverless cars, know that Waymo vehicles are equipped with 360-degree sensors that can identify pedestrians three football fields away. They also use lidar, cameras, and radar technology to pick up sights and sounds on the street. And Waymo's electric Jaguar I-PACE cars only use renewable energy. It's a lot to take in, but hey, welcome to the future, friends!