The price gap between Waymo and Uber is narrowing

The article discusses the narrowing price gap between Waymo’s robotaxi service and traditional human-driven ride-hailing options like Uber and Lyft in the San Francisco Bay Area. According to data collected by Obi between late November and early January, Waymo rides averaged $19.69, compared to $17.47 for Uber and $15.47 for Lyft. This marks a shift from April 2025 data, when Waymo rides were more expensive ($20.43) relative to Uber ($15.58) and Lyft ($14.44). The change is attributed to Waymo lowering its prices while Uber and Lyft have increased theirs, suggesting that the initial novelty of robotaxis may be fading, prompting Waymo to compete more aggressively on price. The report also highlights Tesla’s emerging robotaxi service, which appears significantly cheaper but comes with caveats. Tesla’s service in the Bay Area is not fully autonomous or officially permitted as a robotaxi; instead, it operates with human safety drivers under a transportation