Waymo, Avis plan Dallas robotaxi launch in multiyear deal
In a first, Waymo said Avis will serve as the fleet partner for its robotaxis in Dallas. Customers can order rides on Waymo's app while Avis will provide car management services, including infrastructure, vehicle readiness, maintenance and general depot operations, the companies said Tuesday in a statement. The Dallas deal marks a multiyear partnership that Waymo and Avis plan to expand to more cities over time, according to the statement.
Avis' foray into robotaxi fleet management sets it up as a competitor to Uber and Lyft Inc., which are positioning themselves to provide similar services for driverless cars in addition to their customer-centric rideshare program.
"Our partnership with Waymo marks a pivotal milestone in our evolution, from a rental car company to a leading provider of fleet management, infrastructure and operations to the broader mobility ecosystem," Brian Choi, Avis chief executive officer, said in the statement.
The announcement also underscores that Waymo and Uber are partners and rivals as robotaxi programs are introduced across the U.S.
In the five cities where Waymo vehicles are currently available, it offers rides via its app in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles, while partnering with Uber in Phoenix, Austin and Atlanta.
In the latter two markets, where Waymo rides are only available on the Uber app, Waymo is utilizing fleet services with Uber-backed partner Avomo.
For its planned Miami launch next year, Waymo is providing the service through its app, but using operations from Uber-backed fleet management company Moove.
Dallas will be a competitive robotaxi market with Uber and Lyft also planning to offer rides with their respective driverless technology partners. Uber is working with Austin-based Avride for a launch later this year, while Lyft plans to offer them with Intel Corp. spinoff Mobileye Global Inc. as soon as next year.
Alphabet has been aggressively expanding Waymo's operations, which may also face increased competition from Tesla Inc. Earlier this month, Waymo more than doubled its service area in Austin, Tesla's home base. It also recently began testing in New York City and announced it will be doing the same in Philadelphia.
(With assistance from Julia Love.)
Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sponsor branding finally removed ahead of new season beginning
The branding of Nationwide has finally been removed from the Nigel Eady County Ground after they ended their sponsorship of Swindon Town. In May, it was announced that the Swindon-based building society Nationwide would end its long-standing partnership with Swindon Town, having been involved with the club across two spells during 20 of the last 28 years. The agreement officially came to an end on May 31, with the deal that saw Nationwide sponsor the Don Rogers Stand and obtain a ticket discount for their employees. Swindon Town Chief Commercial Officer James Watts revealed the move came after 'an internal business review' at Nationwide, and the company said they had been 'honoured' to have supported the club. Despite the agreement ending over a month ago, their branding remained on the Don Rogers Stand and inside the ground until last week, when it was finally removed. The branding remained on the outside of the stand, and also on advertising hoardings inside, but was removed before the beginning of the new season, with Swindon set to host Cambridge United on August 9. Swindon have been pursuing new agreements for sponsorship of the Don Rogers Stand, although, as yet, no deal has been struck.
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ardian rolls out US Access Fund
Ardian, a worldwide private investment firm with $180bn in assets, has introduced Ardian Access, an investment vehicle designed to provide accredited US investors direct access to private equity opportunities that are traditionally reserved for institutions. Ardian Access, incorporated under the Investment Company Act of 1940, provides flexible and diverse access to Ardian's secondary, primary, and direct co-investment strategies. The fund is aimed at investors looking for greater access to private markets and to diversify their portfolios through global exposure. With a minimum investment of $25,000, Ardian Access is intended to appeal to a broader variety of accredited investors than standard private equity offerings. The fund will be evergreen, allowing for ongoing inflows and prompt capital deployment, which is uncommon in private markets. The fund will use Ardian's secondary and co-investment platforms, which collectively manage more than $104bn. Over the last four years, the firm's secondaries team has negotiated more than $40bn in transactions, while its co-investment arm has supported more than 140 portfolio businesses alongside top sponsors. Moreover, the fund is designed to mitigate the common obstacles that private market investors experience, such as the J-curve effect, by investing in a diverse portfolio of global private assets managed by established General Partners across many sectors and locations. Mark Benedetti, Executive President at Ardian stated: 'Ardian's Private Wealth Solutions team has experienced remarkable growth by strategically responding to the evolving needs of private investors and wealth managers and is a vital part of Ardian's positioning in private markets. Ardian Access represents our continued expansion, bringing our proven track record in secondaries and co-investments to sophisticated investors seeking scalable solutions.' Michael Bane, Head of Americas Investors Relations and Senior Managing Director at Ardian added: 'Creating Ardian Access LLC was necessary and logical. We wanted to serve Ardian's core competencies to a broader audience, allowing private wealth investors access to the performance our institutional investors have benefitted from since our inception. We seek to provide clients with broad, global private markets exposure to help fill the gaps in their portfolios – this vehicle delivers a professionally managed solution that brings to bear even more of Ardian's differentiated expertise.' According to the firm, investors will benefit from Ardian's enormous proprietary database, which includes over 650 GP's, 1,600 funds, and 10,000 portfolio firms, as well as insights from over 125 private markets specialists operating in 20 global offices. Furthermore, Ardian has already tested this approach in Europe, having successfully launched Ardian Access FCPR in France. Following the US debut, the business will launch Ardian Access SICAV-RAIF, a Luxembourg-based evergreen fund with a similar investment strategy, to accommodate growing global demand. This move represents a key milestone in Ardian's continued growth into the private wealth market, which was formerly controlled by institutional capital and ultra-high-net-worth individuals. The offering is still subject to regulatory approvals and consultations with relevant employee representative bodies. "Ardian rolls out US Access Fund" was originally created and published by Private Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Bloomberg
26 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
UK to Grow Faster Than European Peers for Two Years, IMF Says
Britain will grow faster than any other major European economy this year and next but continue to lag behind the US and Canada among Group of Seven industrialized nations, according to the International Monetary Fund. In an update to its World Economic Outlook, the Washington-based economic supervisor raised its global growth forecasts to reflect both the improved trade backdrop and the fiscal stimulus from President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
