Waymo costs more than paying a human driver for Uber

Waymo costs more than paying a human driver for Uber

At least clankers don’t ask for ideas.

Taking a journey in a Waymo robotaxi costs more on common than taking a drive in an Uber or Lyft pushed by a human.

However, that worth hole is narrowing, according to a new report from Obi, a global real-time aggregator for rideshare costs.

“When Waymo entered the market, our research saw that a ride was priced 30% to 40% higher than an Uber or Lyft ride, but consumers were still taking them enthusiastically, viewing an autonomous rideshare as a premium product,” Ashwini Anburajan, CEO of Obi, said in a assertion.

Obi simulated more than 94,000 experience requests in the San Francisco Bay Area between Nov. 27 and Jan. 1 and located that Waymo costs a median of $19.69 for a experience, while Uber was barely cheaper at $17.47 and Lyft averaged at $15.47.

The data confirmed that Waymo is a median of 12.7% more costly than getting an Uber and 27.3% more costly than a Lyft.

There are two main parts working working in tandem that are inflicting the hole to get smaller — Waymo has lowered pricing while conventional ride-hailing journeys on Uber and Lyft have risen in worth, according to Obi.

The data confirmed that Waymo is a median of 12.7% more costly than Uber. AP

In June 2025, Obi’s first report showcased worth variations between robotaxis and rideshare with data taken from rides in April 2025.

At the time, that data revealed that Waymo rides averaged $20.43, Uber at $15.58, and Lyft rides at $14.44, detailing a 30-40% premium.

Comparing these numbers to Obi’s most current data, Waymo’s common price dropped 3.62%, while Uber’s went up 12% and Lyft’s elevated 7%.

But for longer rides, “the premium can almost disappear,” the report said.

According to the data, rides between 4.3 and 9.3 kilometers (or about 2.7 and 5.8 miles), Waymo is only 2% more costly than Uber and 17% more costly than Lyft per kilometer.

Waymo is increasing to new cities, even partnering with Uber or Lyft in some circumstances. CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH/EPA/Shutterstock

Anburajan told TechCrunch that even though the earlier data urged that clients have been keen to pay a increased worth for the novelty of a Waymo, the “novelty is wearing off for people in the Bay Area.”

If the development continues, Waymo must continue to decrease its costs to compete with the main rideshare choices.

Meanwhile, Waymo is increasing to new cities — even partnering with Uber and Lyft in some — and rideshare firms are including autonomous autos to their platforms, too.

With firms on the point of launch their very own robotaxis, there’s already loads of competitors on the means.

“It’s still very early in the game, so no one’s a late entrant, right?” Anburajan said. “We’re in this new era, so who’s gonna capture market share and move fast to win consumers over?”

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