Waymo, Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, told Bloomberg News that the company will begin to separate its cooperation with Uber in the Austin and Atlanta markets starting from January 2028.

This autonomous taxi company will, just like in other cities, provide ride-hailing services directly through its own smartphone app. On Wednesday, Uber told TechCrunch that as long as both parties agree, they still plan to continue integrating Waymo autonomous taxis into their app. Waymo did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The statement from Mawakana confirms a report by the Financial Times earlier this year that Waymo is seeking to exit its cooperation agreement with Uber. The agreement was originally scheduled to expire in May 2028. Mawakana told Bloomberg News that Waymo initially cooperated with Uber because the ride-hailing giant could offer scale advantages. However, she said that the passenger experience was "a bit like luck," especially because passengers could never be sure whether they were getting an autonomous taxi or a vehicle driven by a human.

Mawakana said, "It's very important for us to establish this kind of relationship with passengers. We have received such feedback from passengers in these markets."

Uber has numerous partnerships with autonomous taxis and other autonomous vehicles. Uber told Bloomberg News that not including an option to directly book autonomous taxis in its ride-hailing app is a decision made by Waymo.

This article has been updated to include new information provided by Uber.