These American Cities Offer Driverless Rides On Uber (And What Travelers Should Know About Them)

Once upon a time, driverless cars seemed a fantasy that only existed in fictional television shows and movies. However, since 2020, Waymo — previously the Google Self-Driving Car Project — has implemented the Waymo One driverless car services across multiple American cities. A subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, Waymo, as its original name implies, initially began as a self-driving technology developed by Google in January 2009. After multiple road tests, the first driverless car was officially unveiled in 2015 and renamed Waymo the following year. 

However, it wasn't until October 2020 that driverless car services were offered to the public without a safety driver in the vehicle. At the time, the service was limited to the Metro Phoenix area. A fitting first location, as Phoenix offers many scenic paths and waterfalls for nature travelers. In 2022, service expanded to San Francisco and Los Angeles soon followed, and in 2025, the company finally expanded beyond the West Coast to Austin, Texas.

The service in Austin is part of a partnership with Uber, which may be surprising to some. The two companies were once locked in a legal battle after Waymo sued Uber for allegedly trying to steal its self-driving patents. Uber eventually settled, and apparently, all is now well. The service will work much like a regular Uber service. When requesting an Uber, the individual can choose a Waymo vehicle at no extra cost (an important note, as Uber has been known to sneak hidden fees on unsuspecting customers). So, consider a driverless uber the next time you want to explore East Austin's amazing art and cuisine.

The Waymo vehicle is an all-electric Jaguar I-PACE, which seats up to four people. The Uber partnership is unique to Austin, although Waymo and Uber have expressed plans to expand to Atlanta and eventually, Miami. That means individuals interested in the Waymo service in San Francisco, L.A., and Phoenix must use the Waymo One app. After an individual picks their destination, the app chooses the safest pick-up and drop-off points. When the car arrives, individuals use the app to unlock the door and click "Start Ride" to begin the drive. For safety reasons, passengers using the driverless Uber service in Austin will be provided access to 24-hour human support via the Uber app, in case of emergencies.

Despite those safety features, skepticism and concern persist, particularly as there have been multiple isolated incidents and legal issues surrounding Waymo. In 2022, Waymo sued the California Department of Motor Vehicles to suppress data about its driverless vehicles being released to the public. And, in 2024, an investigation launched by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration focused on multiple incidents involving Waymo's driverless vehicles, including everything from crashes and fires to driving on the wrong side of the road. However, the company has insisted on its commitment to customer safety.

For now, the future of driverless car services is still fairly niche. Research suggests that on average, Waymo only services roughly 150,000 paid rides a week, across L.A., San Francisco, and Phoenix, and totaling 5 million rides in 2024. For comparison, approximately 30.3 million Uber trips are completed globally, per day. That could explain the Waymo and Uber partnership — it might be exactly what driverless car services need to become mainstream.