Waymo costs more than paying a human driver for Uber or Lyft | Latest Tech News
At least clankers don’t ask for suggestions.
Taking a journey in a Waymo robotaxi costs more on average than taking a drive in an Uber or Lyft pushed by a human.
However, that price 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 journey requests in the San Francisco Bay Area between Nov. 27 and Jan. 1 and discovered that Waymo costs an average of $19.69 for a journey, while Uber was barely cheaper at $17.47 and Lyft averaged at $15.47.
The data confirmed that Waymo is an average 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 price, according to Obi.
The data confirmed that Waymo is an average of 12.7% more costly than Uber. AP
In June 2025, Obi’s first report showcased price 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 latest data, Waymo’s average 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 instructed that prospects have been prepared to pay a greater price for the novelty of a Waymo, the “novelty is wearing off for people in the Bay Area.”
If the development continues, Waymo may have to 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 automobiles to their platforms, too.
With firms preparing to launch their own robotaxis, there’s already loads of competitors on the best way.
“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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