自动驾驶出租车公司Waymo确认将于2028年1月结束与Uber在美国奥斯汀和亚特兰大市场的独家合作关系。届时，Waymo将通过自己的手机应用程序直接向乘客提供服务，而不再完全依赖Uber平台进行运营。
Waymo联席首席执行官特凯德拉·马瓦卡纳在接受媒体采访时表示，Waymo最初选择与Uber合作，主要是为了借助后者庞大的用户规模和市场覆盖能力快速进入相关市场。然而，随着业务的发展，公司越来越重视与乘客建立直接联系。
马瓦卡纳指出，目前通过Uber叫车时，用户并不总能确定最终接单的是Waymo自动驾驶出租车还是由人类司机驾驶的传统网约车，这种体验存在较大的不确定性。她表示，Waymo收到不少乘客反馈，希望能更直接地与Waymo建立联系，因此公司认为有必要加强自己与用户之间的关系。
Waymo的表态也证实了此前有关双方可能分道扬镳的报道。今年早些时候曾有消息称，Waymo正在考虑退出与Uber的合作安排。根据现有协议，双方在奥斯汀和亚特兰大的合同原定于2028年5月到期，而Waymo计划在2028年1月提前启动独立应用运营，这意味着在合同结束前的一段时间内，两种服务模式可能会并行存在。
对于Waymo的决定，Uber方面表示，推出专门预订Waymo自动驾驶车辆的独立入口并非Uber的选择，而是Waymo自身的发展规划。按照现有安排，Waymo车辆仍将在Uber平台上持续运营至合同期满。
分析人士认为，此举标志着Waymo正从单纯的自动驾驶技术提供商进一步向完整出行服务平台转型。过去几年中，Waymo已经在多个美国城市通过自有应用提供自动驾驶出租车服务，并逐步积累大量用户和运营经验。随着品牌影响力不断扩大，公司对于建立直接用户关系的需求也日益增强。
不过，双方关系的变化也意味着竞争格局将发生改变。一旦Waymo在奥斯汀和亚特兰大推出独立应用，Uber将失去自动驾驶服务的独占优势，而两家公司也将在这些市场展开直接竞争。
尽管如此，Uber近年来并未将未来押注在Waymo一家企业身上。公司已经与多家自动驾驶和无人驾驶技术开发商建立合作关系，并积极构建开放式自动驾驶出行网络。即使Waymo逐步独立运营，Uber仍可将其他自动驾驶车辆合作伙伴接入自己的平台。
业内人士认为，随着越来越多自动驾驶企业扩大商业化运营规模，未来市场竞争的重点将不仅仅是自动驾驶技术本身，还包括用户获取能力、品牌认知度以及与乘客之间的直接服务关系。Waymo决定摆脱独家合作模式并强化自有平台建设，正是这一行业趋势的最新体现。
如果计划顺利推进，到2028年初，奥斯汀和亚特兰大的用户将拥有两种选择：既可以继续通过Uber预订自动驾驶出行服务，也可以直接使用Waymo应用叫车。这一变化预计将成为美国自动驾驶出租车行业发展历程中的重要转折点。
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The auto-driving taxi company, Waymo, confirmed that the exclusive partnership with Uber in the United States markets of Austin and Atlanta would end in January 2028. By that time, Waymo will be providing services directly to passengers through its own mobile phone application and will no longer rely entirely on the Uber platform for operations.
In an interview with the media, the joint CEO of Waymo, Tecédra Mavakana, stated that Waymo had initially chosen to work with Uber, mainly to gain rapid access to the relevant markets through the latter ' s large user size and market coverage capacity. However, as business develops, companies are increasingly focusing on establishing direct links with passengers.
According to Mavakana, at present, when calling through Uber, users are not always able to determine whether the final order is for a Waymo auto-drive taxi or a traditional Internet car driven by human drivers, an experience with greater uncertainty. She indicated that Waymo had received a number of passenger feedbacks in the hope of more direct contact with Waymo, and that the company therefore felt it was necessary to strengthen its relationship with users.
Waymo's statements also confirmed earlier reports of possible splits between the parties. Earlier this year, there had been information that Waymo was considering withdrawing from the cooperation arrangement with Uber. Under the existing agreement, the contracts of the parties in Austin and Atlanta were scheduled to expire in May 2028, while Waymo planned to commence independent applications in January 2028, which meant that the two service models might exist in parallel for some time before the end of the contract.
In response to the Waymo decision, Uber indicated that the introduction of an independent entrance specifically booking a Waymo auto-driving vehicle was not a Uber choice, but rather its own development plan. Under the current arrangements, the Waymo vehicles will continue to operate on the Uber platform until the expiration of the contract.
According to analysts, this represents a further transformation of Waymo from a purely auto-driving technology provider to a full travel service platform. Over the past few years, Waymo has provided auto-driving taxi services through its own applications in several United States cities, and has gradually accumulated a large number of users and operational experience. As brand influence expands, so does the demand for direct user relationships.
However, changes in relations also mean that competition patterns will change. Upon the introduction of independent applications by Waymo in Austin and Atlanta, Uber will lose the monopoly of automatic driving services and the two companies will compete directly in these markets.
Nevertheless, Uber did not in recent years place the future on a Waymo business. The company has established partnerships with a number of auto-pilot and unmanned technology developers and has been active in building an open auto-driving network. Even if Waymo were to operate independently, Uber would still have access to its own platform for other automatic vehicle partners.
Industry believes that as more and more self-driving enterprises expand their commercial operations, future market competition will focus not only on auto-driving technologies themselves, but also on user acquisition capabilities, brand awareness and direct service relationships with passengers. The decision by Waymo to move away from an exclusive model of cooperation and to strengthen its own platform is the latest manifestation of this industry trend.
If the plan goes forward smoothly, by early 2028 the users of Austin and Atlanta will have two options: either to continue to book auto-driving services through Uber or to use the Waymo application directly. This change is expected to be an important turning point in the development of the United States auto-driving taxi industry.
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