WAYMO’S robotaxis have officially rolled out on the Uber app in Atlanta, giving riders the option to skip human drivers entirely.
Atlanta residents like Nate Galesic are turning ride cancellations into a strategy — declining human-driven rides until matched with a Waymo.
Atlanta riders are using Uber to request self-driving cars[/caption]
Uber confirmed that it has dozens of Waymo cars and plans to scale up soon[/caption]
“The fact that it’s so challenging to get has turned it into a game,” Galesic told Business Insider, after an hour of declining rides to finally land one.
Since late June, he says he’s logged about 35 solo rides in Waymo’s fully autonomous fleet.
Unlike cities such as Phoenix, riders in Atlanta cannot hail a Waymo via its own app — they must use Uber.
Andrew Nerney, another Atlanta user, says he’s taken five Waymo journeys but must walk two blocks to get into the robotaxi zone.
All his trips were short — under four miles, under $12 — and stayed on surface streets away from freeways.
Rider enthusiasm seems to be growing: “Each day, I see Waymos with passengers more frequently,” Nerney told BI.
Uber confirms it has “dozens of vehicles” operating in Atlanta now and plans to scale to “hundreds” in the coming years.
Riders can boost their odds of getting into a Waymo by opting into the autonomous-vehicle preference and avoiding busy times or freeway trips.
Waymo sources explain that partnering with Uber, rather than using its own app, lets them reach more riders quickly in Atlanta.
Some Atlanta drivers remain cautious due to lingering safety concerns and past incidents.
Frank McCleary of Arthur D. Little pointed out that “deadly accidents involving self-driving vehicles” still weigh on public opinion, as reported by BI.
A survey found that, by a 17-point margin, U.S. respondents said they did not — and would not — use fully or semi-autonomous cars.
Still, in big cities like Atlanta, many report they have, or would, take a self-driving ride.
Galesic compares autonomous rides’ wider adoption to the slow but steady rise of the smartphone after the 2007 iPhone launch.
How do autonomous cars work?
Autonomous cars use sensors, algorithms, machine learning systems, and powerful processors.
They can create and maintain a map of the area around them based on several sensors situated in different parts of the car.
Radar sensors are used to keep track of the positions of other cars.
Video cameras can detect traffic lights, read road signs, track other cars, and look out for pedestrians.
A sophisticated software processes all of this information and plots a path for the car to take, sending instructions to the car’s actuators, which control acceleration, braking, and steering.
Hard-coded rules and object recognition help the software follow traffic rules and avoid obstacles.
Source: Synopsys
Waymo first announced plans to bring its robotaxi service to Atlanta and Austin in September 2024, as per Axios.
Testing of self-driving vehicles in the metro Atlanta area actually began back in 2018, laying groundwork for today’s rollout.
The public launch came on June 24, 2025, when hundreds of fully autonomous Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis became available across 65 square miles, including Downtown, Buckhead, and Capitol View, according to the Associated Press.
The company already serves San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin, using both its own app and Uber partnerships.
In fact, Waymo has been offering Uber-integrated robotaxi rides in Austin since March 2025, building momentum months before hitting Atlanta, as reported by Reuters.
As Waymo broadens its reach, driverless taxis are becoming an everyday reality for riders across the U.S.
