Uber and Waymo, a unit of Alphabet, have ended their autonomous driving collaboration in Phoenix, Arizona. Concurrently, the ride-hailing giant is preparing to launch a new autonomous vehicle partnership in the same city.
Under the agreement established in 2023, Uber had integrated Waymo's self-driving vehicles into its ride-sharing and food delivery platforms.
A Waymo spokesperson stated that the vehicles used for the pilot program have been reintegrated into its own fleet located in Phoenix, and users can still access these vehicles through its application.
Waymo vehicles remain accessible through Uber in Austin and Atlanta.
An Uber spokesperson commented, "Phoenix was the first pilot market for our partnership with Waymo, where we intentionally limited the scale of vehicle deployment, dedicating only about a dozen vehicles to the program."
Uber indicated it is preparing to initiate another autonomous vehicle partnership in Phoenix, but did not disclose the name of the new partner.
The partnership concluded following a recall by Waymo of nearly 3,900 self-driving taxis in the U.S., prompted by a software issue that could potentially cause vehicles to enter and continue driving within closed highway construction zones.
The termination of the collaboration came after Waymo's recall in the U.S. of nearly 3,900 autonomous taxis due to a software fault that might lead vehicles to drive into and proceed within closed highway work areas.
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