Uber and Waymo offer driverless ride-hailing services in Austin and Atlanta… 

Uber announced Friday that it is expanding its partnership with Alphabet's Waymo to offer robot taxi service in Austin, Texas, and Atlanta starting in early 2025. 

The rides are only available through the Uber app, unlike in San Francisco and Los Angeles where passengers book through the Waymo app. 

The extension comes as Uber faces financial specialist pressure to step up its independent vehicle procedure, particularly ahead of Tesla planned robotaxi event slated for Oct. 10. Shares of Uber have fallen 9% since the Tesla event was announced and are off 17% from their 52-week highs. 

It could also slow Waymo's encroachment on Uber's market share. Bernstein's analysis estimates that by May 2024, Waymo's 50,000 weekly paid rides will account for about 2% of Car sharing usage in San Francisco... 

Waymo has since increased its paid robotaxi rides to 100,000 per week, the company claimed.

"We are excited to expand on our successful partnership with Waymo, which has already powered completely autonomous rides for tens of thousands of riders in Phoenix," Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement.

Uber stock fell in August after the firm announced a multiyear deal with Cruise to offer driverless trips through its app starting next year.

Waymo has rapidly made strides in the self-driving race. It currently offers robotaxi services to the public in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.