Austin, TX
Uber expands self-driving ride-hailing service to Austin and Atlanta with Waymo partnership
Uber Technologies is set to expand its partnership with Alphabet’s Waymo, introducing self-driving, all-electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles to Austin, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia, starting early next year. This move follows a successful collaboration in Phoenix, Arizona, where Waymo’s autonomous vehicles have been available since 2023.
Additionally, Uber will oversee and deploy a growing fleet of Waymo’s fully autonomous cars, expected to increase to hundreds over time. This initiative aligns with Uber’s broader strategy to integrate new technologies and transition its entire fleet to green energy.
Uber first teamed up with Waymo in 2023 to offer driverless cars in Phoenix. The new service in Austin and Atlanta will allow riders to request Waymo vehicles through Uber’s platform for certain trips. However, the specific criteria for these “qualifying trips” were not disclosed. Riders can also choose to opt out of receiving a Waymo vehicle.
The announcement comes at a crucial time for autonomous vehicle companies, which are facing increased scrutiny from safety regulators due to recent incidents involving self-driving technology. Uber’s partnership with Waymo is part of a broader strategy to leverage advancements in electric and autonomous driving technologies. Uber has also announced a similar collaboration with General Motors’ Cruise to provide self-driving cars on its platform by next year.
Waymo started as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009 and is a leading player in the autonomous vehicle sector. The company currently operates Waymo One, an autonomous ride-hailing service in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana expressed excitement about the expansion, highlighting the positive feedback from existing riders and the opportunity to bring the benefits of autonomous driving to new cities.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi also expressed enthusiasm about the expanded partnership, emphasizing the potential for riders in Austin and Atlanta to experience the advantages of autonomous transportation through Uber’s platform.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas’ highway system dropped two spots since 2025, and now ranks at No. 27 in the country for its cost-effectiveness and overall conditions, according to the Reason Foundation’s 2026 Highway Report.
The report assessed pavement conditions, fatalities, deficient bridges, infrastructure costs and congestion levels across the United States. Texas earned the following rankings:
- 33rd in urban interstate pavement conditions
- 21st in rural interstate pavement conditions
- 39th in urban arterial pavement conditions
- 12th in rural arterial pavement conditions
- 3rd in structurally deficient bridges
- 26th in urban fatality rate
- 42nd in rural fatality rate
- 41st in traffic congestion
“More than 42,000 of the nation’s 618,923 highway bridges, nearly 7%, are still structurally deficient. Arizona, Nevada, and Texas reported the lowest percentages of deficient bridges,” the report said.
The full report can be found online.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Small hail peppered the Austin area as strong thunderstorms moved through Saturday.
A few of the storms dropped rain and up to pea-sized hail in San Marcos, Dripping Springs and the Austin metro area.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Williamson County around 8:15 p.m., and then canceled shortly after. However, it was enough for the Two Step Inn music festival in Georgetown to cancel shows for the rest of the evening. Event organizers say the festival will run as planned Sunday.
KXAN’s First Warning Weather team is monitoring the storms. We will update this post as the evening continues.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution unveiled a new monument at the Texas State Cemetery on Saturday, dedicated to Texas Revolutionary War soldiers.
“We must educate every generation about why it is that America grew from a tenuous 13 colonies into the most powerful country in the history of the world,” said Governor Abbott. “This monument here is an enduring testament to the heroes who fought for the freedom that is unique to America.”
The monument was dedicated to 69 soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Texas, according to a press release.
Among those that were honored, Abbott recognized:
- José Santiago Seguín, grandfather of Texas Revolutionary hero Juan Seguín.
- Peter Sides, who fought in the 2nd Battalion of the North Carolina Regiment of the Colonial Army, and was later killed in the 1813 Battle of Medina, fighting for Mexican independence against Spain.
- Antonio Gil Y’Barbo, the founder of Nacogdoches.
- William Sparks, who fought as a mounted rifleman in the American Revolution and later settled in Texas. He had two sons and two grandsons who fought in the Texas Revolution.
“This year marks the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, which not only gave freedom to the British colonies of North America, but inspired movements for freedom and liberty all over the world,” said TSSAR President Mel Oller. “Texans played a role in the war too, and it’s important to recognize them, and the sacrifices they made for our freedom.”
At the monument unveiling, Abbott was also inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution and received its Silver Good Citizenship Medal.
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