On Monday, Uber announced that David Drummond, an executive at Google’s parent company Alphabet, has left the Uber board due to increased competition between Alphabet and Uber. Riders are now charged 54 cent a mile in the pilot program which is less that most Uber and Lyft rides.
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Google is looking to take on Uber Technologies Inc. with its new ride-share service.
Now, only people working at six companies, including Google, Wall Mart Stores and Adobe Systems, can request rides. The app helps these workers hook up with other drivers heading in the same direction during their daily commute.
Google is also running a similar ridesharing program in Israel, where Waze was originally developed. Alphabet plans to offer the ride-sharing service to Waze users in San Francisco.
Right now, the program is being run in California and will eventually roll out to the San Francisco area this fall.
Google dipped a toe into matters with its carpooling service this May, launching a small pilot program based around its Mountain View headquarters called Waze Rider.
At one time, Google and Uber seemed to have a very close relationship, which included a sizeable investment from Google in the on-demand ride company, and an arrangement that brought Uber inside the official Google Maps app as an additional mode of transportation option. Waze now has 65 million users. Instead, users can connect to drivers headed in the same direction for a ride, just like carpooling. If the service is successful, Alphabet will expand it to more areas.
Driverless vehicles are also important to keep in mind as Google, which has recorded more than 1.8 million mils of autonomous driving, and Uber, which is investing heavily in a potential self-driving fleet, are both committed to the new technology.
Personally, it’s amusing to me to think that just a few years ago, there was no such thing as Uber, Lyft, or this reported Waze service.
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Unlike Uber, Waze isn’t trying to make money for itself or the drivers offering to share a ride. The two companies used to be allies, with Google injecting Uber with $258 million in 2013, but have begun to increasingly view each other as rivals, The Journal reports. It has also brought in Anthony Levandowski to head Uber as well Otto’s self-driving projects.
