AUSTIN, Texas — Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as Robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.
Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin’s roads, is partnering with Uber, and at some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.
Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.
Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon’s Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai’s Motional is in the mapping phase.
Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company’s permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.
This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the City of Austin Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people’s homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.
Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It’s important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.
Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, 8 collisions and 7 instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department.
According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.
A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they’ve been training APD officers on using.
As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said they are working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo’s First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making them the first AV company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where we currently operate.
This week, the Waymo CEO released a video the company said shows the Waymo Driver anticipating and then reacting swiftly to avoid a collision with a scooter rider in Austin recently.
In a statement, Waymo’s Director of Product Management David Margines said: “We designed the Waymo Driver to improve safety for all road users, including those outside of vehicles who are more vulnerable. In this instance, you can see the vehicle had slowed down and was planning to give them extra space while passing well before they began to stumble. We’re proud that our behavior prediction and fast reaction time helped that person get home safely that night.”
UT engineering professor Chandra Bhat said it’s important that safety is the top priority.
“I would like to see a whole lot of testing done in some of the most improbable situations, but still do happen, before these are essentially unleashed in mass on our roadways,” said Bhat.
If you want to try out a self-driving ride-share, Waymo is offering free rides in certain areas of Austin, but there is a waitlist.