Back in June, Waymo was rumored to be working on self-driving semi trucks, with images of such a vehicle emerging later that month. Meanwhile, the Alphabet division also began exploring a ride-sharing service in Phoenix this year.
During an interview today, CEO John Krafcik confirmed Waymo’s work on both and how their autonomous technology might first come to market through either of those uses.
Google Maps is adding new ride options on mobile devices today as it turns the former Uber-only feature into a section dedicated to several car services. It’s launching today for Android users and coming soon to other platforms.
Google-owned Waze looks to have its sights set on competing with the ride-sharing service Lyft. Reuters reports that it is trialling a ride-sharing service, initially in Waze’s home market, Israel.
The new application, called RideWith, will use Waze’s navigation system to learn the routes drivers most frequently take to work and match them up with people looking for a ride in the same direction.
Waze is at pains to point out that it is not trying to compete with Uber, where drivers are able to operate full-time and make a profit. RideWith will limit drivers to just two journeys per day, allowing them to share the cost of their journey to and from work … Expand Expanding Close
Update: When reached for comment, Google pointed us to its Twitter account’s response (below), which it said is accurate. While it doesn’t directly address the reports, it does seem to hint Google is working on a Lyft-style ride-sharing app and that it doesn’t view it as a direct competitor to Uber. Following the original reports, Uber made its announcement official on its website.
Update 2: Google has reportedly told the Wall Street Journal that the app in question is a carpooling app created by one of its engineers for Google employees. It is said to be unrelated to Google’s self-driving car.
Uber, the app-based car service in which Google is an investor, is about to announce a new investment into building its own fleet of driverless vehicles, according to a report from TechCrunch. Although the specific details are unclear at this point, the report comes just as news breaks that Google is developing its own ride-sharing app that could be a possible competitor to Uber. Expand Expanding Close
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