Taking an Uber in Phoenix? Your next ride may not have a driver

Taking a Uber ride in Phoenix soon? Don’t be surprised if your Uber ride shows up without someone behind the wheel.

Uber is launching its first driverless rides through a partnership with Waymo, the self-driving taxi company owned by Google parent company Alphabet. While Uber is operating autonomous vehicle rides in other cities, this is the first time it is offering rides without a vehicle operator present in the front seat. 

The launch comes five months after Uber and Waymo announced their partnership, and will have driverless rides start Thursday in Waymo’s 180-square-mile service area in the Phoenix area.

“It’ll be a rider-only experience with no driver behind the wheel, and the goal of autonomous vehicles for a long time has been to get to this moment,” said Noah Zych, global head of autonomous mobility and delivery at Uber. “So to be here today, to being able to deliver that with Waymo, is very exciting."

How does it work?

Riders will be notified by the Uber app when they are matched with a driverless Waymo vehicle and will have the option to confirm the driverless ride or be matched with a conventional vehicle instead. 

Those who opt for the Waymo ride can unlock the vehicle upon arrival through the Uber app. Riders will have access to customer support 24/7 through the Uber app and inside the Waymo vehicle through its in-car screen. 

The ride will charge the same rate as regular Uber rides, and customers will be able to see the pricing upfront in the Uber app. Uber and Waymo are also working together to launch driverless deliveries at a later date.

Are self-driving cars safe?

Uber’s launch comes the same week Cruise, another self-driving taxi company, halted operations in San Francisco after the California Department of Motor Vehicles pulled its permits.

The DMV's decision comes after one of Cruise's autonomous vehicles was involved in a hit-and-run this month, with the DMV declaring that Cruise’s vehicles "are not safe for the public's operation.” 

With Cruise’s permits suspended, Waymo is now the only self-driving taxi company approved to offer paid rides 24/7 in San Francisco.

Driverless cars:In San Francisco, the humans are baffled and future is uncertain

There have been some reports of Waymo vehicles stalling and disrupting traffic and interfering with emergency scenes. In February, for instance, police officers in San Francisco struggled to get a Waymo driverless vehicle to stop inching toward the scene of a fire and threatening to run over a hose. Body camera footage shows the car eventually shifting into park in the middle of an intersection.

Data from Waymo released in February says after over 1 million miles on public roads without a human behind the wheel, its fleet has been involved in only two collisions in which at least one vehicle had to be towed away and 18 minor contact events, none of which resulted in reported injuries. Waymo said every vehicle-to-vehicle event involved at least one road rule violation or dangerous behavior from the human drivers. 

“We really feel like this is a moment that helps set us apart in what we're doing to promote a safe rider experience,” said Nicole Gavel, Waymo’s head of business development and strategic partnerships. “(We) see the value of Waymo and fully autonomous driving to increase the safety for all folks who use the road, whether it's people riding in cars, but also pedestrians, cyclists and other folks to make the roads safer overall.”

How can I order a driverless Uber ride?

Starting Thursday, Uber riders in the Phoenix area who request an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric may be matched with a Waymo self-driving car. 

Riders can increase their odds of being matched with a driverless Waymo car by opting in via the Uber app’s Ride Preferences section under settings.

“I see that this is the future of transportation,” Zych said, adding that for “a lot of these riders, they won't have ever had an autonomous vehicle trip before. So we want that to be a great first experience, which then will make them excited to take more and more trips.”