Dive Brief:
- Uber has put approximately 100 Waymo robotaxis on the streets of Austin, Texas, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said on Wednesday’s Q1 earnings call. He added that more autonomous vehicles would be coming to Austin, with Atlanta soon to get Waymo AVs as well.
- Khosrowshahi said Uber is experiencing strong growth in areas outside urban centers, with that segment now representing 20% of the company’s mobility trips.
- Uber has seen the effects of a steep drop in foreign visitors to the U.S., Balaji Krishnamurthy, vice president of strategic finance and investor relations, said on the call. The number of inbound international travelers declined almost 10% in March from the same period last year, according to federal data. Uber’s international trips now account for a higher portion of its global business.
Dive Insight:
The average Waymo vehicle in Austin is “busier than 99%” of human-driven vehicles there, Khosrowshahi said. “Consumers are loving the product,” he said. The CEO also praised Waymo for keeping the electric vehicles clean, recharged and well maintained.
Khosrowshahi also noted that Uber has autonomous vehicles on the road in China, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and announced a partnership May 1 with May Mobility to launch AVs in Arlington, Texas, later this year. He sees advances in autonomous vehicle technology that will impact the entire automotive industry, predicting that “10 years from now, every single new car sold comes with [SAE] level four, level five [AV capability],” referring to classifications that include the highest levels of autonomous driving.
In many cities, Uber has partnered with taxi companies, allowing customers to select a taxi on the Uber app. Khosrowshahi said the company’s taxi business continues to grow. “We're not even close to the majority of taxis in the world,” he said, adding that it provides opportunities for overall growth.
