Uber said it offered to add a dedicated robotaxi booking option in its app so customers could match with driverless cars more easily, but Waymo declined that offer, according to a report from InsideEVs6. The detail adds a new dimension to Waymo's confirmed decision to end its exclusive robotaxi partnership with Uber in the Austin and Atlanta markets starting in January 2028, which co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana disclosed to Bloomberg in a report published on November 41,3,9.
The robotaxi company will offer rides directly through its own smartphone app in those cities, as it does in other markets. Waymo operates about 4,000 vehicles and delivers more than 500,000 rides per week5.
Why Waymo is going direct
Mawakana told Bloomberg that Waymo initially partnered with Uber because the ride-hail company offered scale, but that the rider experience has been inconsistent because passengers never know whether they will get a robotaxi or a human-driven car. "It's important for us to have that relationship with the rider. We've gotten that feedback from the riders in those markets," Mawakana said.
Uber confirmed to TechCrunch that it still plans to host Waymo robotaxis on its app for as long as the two companies agree. Uber also told Bloomberg that it was Waymo's idea not to add an option in Uber's app to book a robotaxi directly. Waymo did not immediately respond to TechCrunch's request for comment.
Broader fleet and partnership landscape
Mawakana's comments follow reporting earlier in 2026 by the Financial Times that Waymo was looking to exit its deal with Uber, which was set to expire in May 2028. Waymo plans to add over a dozen more U.S. cities in the coming months. The company is also looking to license its autonomous-driving technology to automakers for use in vehicles sold to retail buyers.
On Uber's side, the ride-hail company has signed deals with Rivian, Lucid, Wayve, and others to offer their driverless vehicles on the Uber app. Uber plans to have 700 robotaxis online by the end of this year and 2,000 by the end of 2027.
ANALYSIS By moving four months ahead of the May 2028 contract expiration and going direct in Austin and Atlanta — while declining Uber's proposed dedicated booking option — Waymo is trading demand aggregation for end-to-end control of the rider experience.