Calling all early adopters: Atlantans can now sign up to be among the first to ride in the autonomous Waymo vehicles launching this summer via the Uber app.
The news comes eight years after state leaders enabled this sea change by passing a bill allowing self-driving cars to operate on public roads.
Waymo already offers autonomous rides in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles, and rolled out Austin, Texas, recently in partnership with Uber.
“Atlanta, you’re up next‚” Andrew Macdonald, Uber’s senior vice president of mobility and business operations, said in a statement.
The city’s Waymo territory at launch is nearly double the size of Austin’s.
Waymo has been operating and testing driver-free rides in their electric Jaguar SUVs around Atlanta for about a year but only for Uber and Waymo employees. Soon all Uber riders may be able to get picked up by one.
Waymo previously tested vehicles in Atlanta in 2018.
In order to join the early access list, Uber riders can opt in via their app settings and ride preferences.
Some early adopters will get access to Waymo rides ahead of the broader launch and be encouraged to provide feedback.
From Buckhead to downtown to Capitol View
Starting this summer, the service’s territory will cover 65 square miles in Atlanta, stretching from Buckhead to downtown to Capitol View, with plans to expand in the future.
At that point, any rider may be matched with a Waymo car, but users will have the option to either accept or to switch to a human-driven ride before it arrives.
Riders unlock vehicles using their Uber app, and rates will be comparable to existing rides.
Uber says that its Austin launch has gone well in the last six weeks with the “vast majority” of Uber riders choosing Waymo when given the opportunity.
Waymo recently made up about 20% of Austin’s Uber rides, Bloomberg reported.
According to AAA polling from earlier this year, however, six in 10 drivers still report being afraid to ride in autonomous vehicles.
Other autonomous driving programs
Beyond Waymo, a number of cities around metro Atlanta have piloted autonomous transportation programs, including a self-driving shuttle on a test track along Technology Parkway in Peachtree Corners.
San Francisco-based Lyft, meanwhile, has announced plans to launch its own robotaxi fleet in Atlanta this year in partnership with autonomous driving technology company May Mobility.
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