Uber opens ‘interest list’ for Waymo robotaxi rides in Austin

Ride-hailing and food delivery app Uber is opening its “interest list” to users in Austin, Texas, who want to be first in line for Waymo robotaxis there.

The company said in a statement that users will “be able to travel across 37 square miles of Austin — from Hyde Park, to Downtown, to Montopolis” — when the Uber-Waymo service launches soon.

The so-called “interest list” allows users to receive Uber updates and bolsters their odds of being matched with a Waymo autonomous vehicle upon launch.

The vehicles that will be part of the Austin service are Jaguar iPace electric models equipped with Waymo’s driverless systems and labeled with both Waymo and Uber branding.

The Waymo rides in Austin will only be available through the Uber app, unlike in San Francisco and Los Angeles, where riders hail them through the Waymo One app.

In the face of investor pressure to step up its autonomous vehicle strategy after Tesla promised it would soon start producing robotaxis, Uber last year said it had begun testing a ride-hailing app with some of its employees.

While Tesla does not make vehicles that are safe to use without a human driver at the wheel, ready to steer or brake at all times, Elon Musk’s automaker in January said it will “begin launching” a driverless ride-hailing business “later this year” starting in Austin.

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, testing and operating a commercial robotaxi service in the state does not require the same types of special licenses and permits that other states require.

“Texas law allows for AV testing and operations on Texas roadways as long as they meet the same safety and insurance requirements as every other vehicle on the road,” a spokesperson for the department told CNBC by e-mail.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is expected to discuss the impact of automated driving systems — or self-driving cars — on the company’s overall business and strategy on a fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday.