Uber and Waymo, the autonomous driving technology company, have launched their partnership in both Phoenix, Arizona and most recently, Austin, Texas, with plans to expand to Atlanta, Georgia this summer/fall following positive feedback. Already, tens of thousands of riders have used the autonomous vehicles in Phoenix.
According to Waymo, the “Waymo driver” has more than 40 million miles of real world driver experience, all without needing a human behind the wheel.
But how does it really work? Car sensors gather complex data to understand the vehicles surroundings using AI, be it pedestrians, cyclists, etc. The technology allows the vehicle to perceive all of this information, in addition to traffic signs and signals, to react and plan the most optimized route.
However, the future of self-driving cars in NYC is unclear. This is because these types of vehicles are not compliant with New York City Department of Transportation rules regarding autonomous vehicle operations.
NYC DOT mandates that autonomous vehicles must test on public roads with a trained human safety driver behind the wheel. Thus, making self-driving vehicles, that have no human driver, such as the ones used for the Uber and Waymo partnership, unlawful in NYC.
Moreover, NYC requirements of dual city and state permits, strict safety protocols, data disclosure and so on prove further obstacles for expanding the partnership.
However, Uber did just announce another step forward in the autonomous vehicle landscape by combining it with their popular shared ride feature. Volkswagen will assist Uber in launching autonomous, shared rides, starting in early 2026. Even so, Uber told AMNY hat “there are no plans for New York yet,” especially since its autonomous vehicle partners aren’t active there.
Los Angeles will be the first city Uber and Wolkswagen plan to deploy the fully electric, fully autonomous ID. Buzz AD, revolutionizing transportation with shared, electric, self-driving rides.
“We believe autonomous technology will drive a safer and more affordable future for everyone, and we can’t wait to expand access to it around the world,” writes a recent Uber press release.