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Atlanta rideshare drivers say Waymo is cutting into their income
Atlanta rideshare drivers say Waymo's robotaxis are absorbing the short, in city trips that once anchored their weekly pay.
Atlanta rideshare drivers say Waymo's robotaxis are absorbing the short, in city trips that once anchored their weekly pay.
Last Thursday, Bob Chouhan stood with members of the Atlanta Rideshare Drivers Union on a downtown Atlanta sidewalk to rally against the expansion he says has changed his workweek. After several years driving for Uber and Lyft, the co-leader argues that the short, in-city trips to hotels, restaurants, and downtown offices are being absorbed first by Waymo's driverless cars, not other drivers.
Atlanta rideshare drivers told CBS Atlanta and WSB Radio that AV competition has been gradually whittling away the fares that once anchored their week. In a network where longer airport and suburban runs can mean dead-head miles between rides, the quick trip from a downtown hotel to a Midtown office, short, repeatable, often tipped, has historically been one of the most reliable income units in the day. Drivers at the rally said those fares are the ones Waymo's service picks up first because they map onto AV economics: bounded routes, repeat riders, less highway speed.
Speaking at the rally, Chouhan warned that Waymo's pace in Atlanta could "easily within a space of the next few years replace all drivers," per local coverage, an advocate's prediction rather than an industry forecast. The Atlanta Rideshare Drivers Union's demands centered on city and state protections: a seat at the table as AV deployment expands, and policies that stop driverless cars from undercutting gig fares in markets where human drivers' hours have already shrunk.
The rally came as Waymo has been actively scaling its Atlanta service. AV service is slated to reach Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in 2026, per USA Today. That is the kind of high-volume node that would push AV competition into the longer, airport-bound fares drivers say still pay best. The Southerner has tracked Waymo's stated plans for further metro development.
In a statement to Atlanta News First, Uber said autonomous vehicles will "create new opportunities" for drivers and called for "broader collaboration among governments, industry, and worker representatives." Uber did not address what those transitions would look like, or how drivers whose short-trip income has already shrunk would be prioritized.
Not every Atlanta rider shares the union's read. Scott Dukes, a Waymo supporter, told local outlets he prefers the AV service for its predictability, the quiet ride, and the fact that the vehicles "don't need bathroom breaks." One rider's preference does not rebut driver income data.
State Rep. Gabriel Sanchez, who appeared at the rally, framed the moment as a question about who gets a voice before driverless service expands further. Atlanta's next test is whether the city's AV rollout produces the kind of input the union is asking for, or whether the next inflection point, AV service at ATL airport, arrives before any of those questions are answered.