Waymo will end its exclusive robotaxi partnership with Uber in Austin and Atlanta in January 2028, the Alphabet-owned self-driving company has confirmed, and will instead offer rides in the two cities through its own smartphone app.

Waymo co-chief executive Tekedra Mawakana confirmed the move in an interview with Bloomberg published on 4 November 2026. She said riders in the two markets had asked for more consistency when ordering a driverless ride, because booking through Uber offered no guarantee of getting a Waymo car.

"In the early days, we would partner because we didn't have the scale, and in that partnering, it was a little bit of a crapshoot. Will I get a Waymo? Will I not get a Waymo?" Mawakana said. She added that customers wanted a consistent offering from a single app and a direct relationship with Waymo.

The existing agreement had been due to run until May 2028. Uber told Bloomberg it had asked Waymo about adding a dedicated robotaxi booking option inside its app for customers in Austin and Atlanta, but Waymo declined.

Waymo operates roughly 4,000 vehicles across the United States and completes more than 500,000 paid trips a week in 14 cities, according to the company. It already offers rides through its own app in San Francisco and other markets, and it recently expanded to a 15th US city, Las Vegas. The company aims to double its fleet to 8,000 cars by the end of this year, Semafor reported, helped by a $5 billion loan.

The split underlines a wider shift, as makers of self-driving cars increasingly launch their own apps rather than relying on ride-hailing networks. Tesla has also chosen its own robotaxi app.