As Waymo Begins Airport Testing Operations In San Jose, This User Compared The Fare Of Regular Uber Rides Vs Tesla Robotaxi
Waymo has begun testing its autonomous ride-hailing service at San Jose's Mineta International Airport, becoming the first California airport to do so. The rollout will start with Waymo employees before a public launch later this year. A user compared fares, revealing a Tesla Robotaxi ride cost $23.06, significantly cheaper than Uber's $36.96 for the same trip. Meanwhile, Tesla's Robotaxi app has gained popularity, and Uber users in Atlanta are increasingly opting for Waymo's services. Regulatory changes are also being discussed, with NYC cab drivers opposing Waymo's operations in their city.
Tesla Inc. TSLA Robotaxi rival Alphabet Inc.'s GOOGL GOOG Waymo, which has partnered with Uber Technologies Inc. UBER to offer fully-autonomous rides, announced the expansion of its testing operations at the San Jose airport.
San Jose's Mineta International Becomes First California Airport To Use Waymo
The airport released a statement on Thursday, announcing Waymo had received authorization to operate commercially within the airport premises in the presence of an onboard safety driver.
"Rollout will happen in stages, beginning with fully-autonomous testing with Waymo employees, followed by a commercial launch for the public later this year," the statement said.
Tesla Rolls Out Robotaxi App
Tesla recently rolled out the Robotaxi app on the Apple Inc. AAPL App Store, which quickly climbed up the charts on the store and outpaced the Uber app's 30-day rollout download record.
However, once users download the app, they must join the Robotaxi waitlist before they're allowed to use the ride-hailing service in San Jose.
Meanwhile, as Waymo announced the San Jose testing operations, Phil Beisel, a user on the social media platform X shared the cost of a Tesla Robotaxi in the city for a ride to a coffee shop in Downtown San Jose, drawing parallels to a regular Uber ride.
"$23.06 vs Uber’s $36.96 for a ride to a downtown coffee shop," Beisel shared in his post on Thursday, attaching screenshots of the Tesla Robotaxi app's user interface. Going by Beisel's post, the Tesla Robotaxi was almost $13 cheaper than the regular Uber ride.
Robotaxi's Highway Expansion, Customers Favoring Robotaxis
The news comes as Tesla recently expanded its autonomous cab services in Austin, announcing that its Robotaxis would also operate on the highway in Austin.
However, the company also moved the onboard safety operator from the passenger seat to the driver's seat, which could be a move to circumvent Texas’s updated autonomous driving regulations.
Meanwhile, Uber announced that customers on its platform in the city of Atlanta were ditching rides offered with human drivers in favor of Waymo robotaxis, which could demonstrate greater adoption of Robotaxis among customers.
Easing Regulations, NYC Cab Drivers Oppose Waymo
Interestingly, the Trump administration has proposed easing regulations for autonomous vehicles by revising Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says were written for human drivers.
Elsewhere, cab drivers in NYC have criticized Waymo’s testing operations in NYC, who have called on New York State Governor Kathy Hochul to halt the testing operations in the city.
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