Uber announces its own robotaxi service for San Francisco in late 2026, competing directly with Google-owned Waymo on its home streets
SAN FRANCISCO: Uber will launch its own robotaxi service in San Francisco late next year, taking on Google-owned Waymo on the rideshare giant’s home streets.
The announcement came a day after Uber and Nvidia touted an alliance to deploy 100,000 robotaxis starting in 2027.
Uber stated that the future is on its way in a post on X, adding that on-road development of more than 100 self-driving Lucid vehicles for the robotaxi program is in progress.
Uber currently lets users in a few US cities hail robotaxis operated by Waymo.
Nvidia earlier this week announced it was working with carmakers Stellantis, Lucid, and Mercedes-Benz to deploy 100,000 robotaxis starting in 2027.
The AI chip giant is working to put itself at the core of self-driving vehicle systems.
Artificial intelligence and super-fast, reliable internet connectivity promise to be essential for cars to react safely and smartly on the road.
Waymo robotaxis have grown in popularity in San Francisco and even become a tourist attraction.
The service began testing in San Francisco in 2021 and opened to the general public last year.
Waymo’s fleet in the area is estimated at more than 800 vehicles.
The company recently announced plans to launch its robotaxis in London next year.
London would mark the first foray into Europe for Waymo, already present in a growing number of US cities.
Chinese internet giant Baidu earlier this year announced plans to launch robotaxis on the rideshare app Lyft in Germany and Britain in 2026.
This expansion is pending regulatory approval.
Baidu has announced a similar agreement with Uber in Asia and the Middle East.
The company seeks to take pole position in the competitive autonomous driving field both at home and abroad. – AFP
