Uber to launch a premium robotaxi service in Waymo’s turf of San Francisco

Uber has picked San Francisco to launch a premium robotaxi service that will use Lucid Motors’ all-electric Gravity SUVs equipped with self-driving tech developed by Nuro, in 2026 — a move that puts the ride-hailing giant in direct competition with Waymo.

The announcement was made as the last day of TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 kicked off in San Francisco. Nuro president and co-CEO Dave Ferguson, and Uber chief product officer Sachin Kansal are scheduled to be interviewed on the Disrupt stage Wednesday afternoon.

“The Bay Area has long been the birthplace of transformative technology, and it’s only fitting that Uber’s next-generation robotaxi program with Lucid and Nuro will begin here — launching to the public next year,” Kansal said in a statement. “By combining deep expertise in electric vehicles, autonomy, and ridehailing, we’re laying the groundwork for safe and scalable autonomous rides in the Bay Area and beyond.”

Earlier this year, Uber said it would invest $300 million in Lucid and separately buy “at least” 20,000 of its new Gravity SUVs over the next six years as part of a plan to develop and launch a premium robotaxi service. Those EVs would be equipped with Nuro’s autonomous vehicle system, and owned and operated by Uber or its third-party fleet partners. At the time, the three companies had not identified their launch market.

The decision to launch in San Francisco could add tension to Uber’s relationship with Waymo. The companies had squared off in 2018 in a trade secrets theft case, but have since patched up — earlier this year, they launched a robotaxi service in Austin and Atlanta. In 2023, the companies partnered to make Waymos available on the Uber app in Phoenix.

Now, Uber is entering a domain dominated by the Alphabet-owned self-driving division. Waymo, based in Mountain View, California, operates commercial robotaxi services in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. The company has said it plans to launch in six more cities in 2026.

Uber, Nuro and Lucid are already developing a fleet of test vehicles. Lucid recently delivered vehicles to Nuro, which is integrating its self-driving system into the fleet for testing and validation. The test fleet is expected to reach about 100 vehicles, according to the companies.

Testing on public roads will be the most visible sign of the partnership, but Nuro also plans to use simulation and closed courses for testing.

Over the past two years, Uber has locked in a bevy of partnerships with autonomous vehicle technology companies, covering the spectrum of how self-driving systems can be applied to the physical world — although its deals with Waymo, Nuro and Lucid might be the meatiest. The ride-hailing giant has partnered with more than 18 companies globally, across ride-hailing, delivery and trucking. This year alone, it announced deals with Ann Arbor, Michigan-based May Mobility and Volkswagen, as well as Chinese self-driving firms Momenta, WeRide and Baidu.