Waymo and Uber have quietly ended their shared robotaxi setup in Phoenix, closing a nearly three-year pilot that helped shape both companies' autonomous vehicle strategies. The service is no longer available through Uber's app in the city, while Waymo says the vehicles used in the program have been moved back into its own Phoenix fleet.
The transition reflects a broader shift in the self-driving market, where partnerships are evolving alongside faster fleet growth and expanding service areas. Uber said it is preparing a separate autonomous vehicle launch in Phoenix, though it has not named the partner. Waymo, meanwhile, continues to offer rides in the city through its own app and says the vehicles will remain active in its broader local operations.
According to both companies, Phoenix served as a valuable testbed. Uber described the program as a limited deployment that helped it scale autonomous ride services in Austin and Atlanta. Waymo called the collaboration productive and said it supported future expansion, including its work with Via for public transit integration and DoorDash for delivery.
The partnership began in 2023, when direct collaboration between the two companies seemed unlikely. Since then, the robotaxi sector has advanced quickly. Waymo now operates a fleet of about 4,000 vehicles and provides more than 500,000 trips each week across 11 major U.S. metro areas, with plans to enter around 20 new cities this year.
As autonomous mobility matures, Phoenix remains an important milestone in how ride-hailing and self-driving platforms can test, refine, and eventually scale new urban transport models. The next phase may bring more specialized partnerships and wider access to driverless travel.