A quiet but telling shift is playing out on the streets of Atlanta. Some Uber passengers, given the choice between a human driver and a driverless Waymo, are deliberately refusing the human option — waiting longer, canceling trips, and re-requesting rides until a robotaxi appears.
What once felt like a futuristic experiment is now turning into a customer preference, and it may mark the beginning of a profound transformation in ride-hailing.
Since Uber introduced Waymo’s self-driving cars into its Atlanta platform in late June, residents like Nate Galesic have leaned heavily into the technology. He admits to declining trip after trip until the app assigns him a robotaxi, a habit he has repeated for more than 35 rides. As an assistant director for TV and film products, Galesic told BI he usually drives himself home after a long day on set. Not having to drive — or face judgment from a ride-hailing driver if he nods off along the way — is another benefit of autonomous vehicles, he said.
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“I’ve always dreamt about the day when I could just pass out on the way to and from work,” Galesic told BI. “Now I can do that without the small talk.”
Another rider, Andrew Nerney, describes a similar approach: canceling multiple times until he finally lands a Waymo, even though most of his trips are short, under $12.
“Each day, I see Waymos with passengers more frequently,” he added, underscoring that this is no longer a novelty but an emerging preference.
The behavior captures a pivotal moment. For the first time, Uber’s customers are openly demonstrating that they would rather trust algorithms, sensors, and software than a gig worker behind the wheel. While Uber users cannot guarantee that they’ll get a ride in a Waymo in Atlanta, some are working the system to get paired with one.
The implications are enormous, not just for Uber but for the entire gig economy.
Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving unit, has gradually expanded from its first commercial rides in Phoenix in 2017 to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin, with a fleet of more than 1,500 fully driverless cars. Atlanta now joins that map, though for the moment Uber and Waymo only operate “dozens” of cars within a limited 65-square-mile zone. The companies say the fleet will grow into “hundreds” in the coming years, mirroring Austin, where about 100 are already deployed.
But what feels like progress for tech enthusiasts spells potential disaster for Uber’s drivers. Uber has long described its flexible labor model as a gateway to income for millions worldwide. If more riders follow Galesic and Nerney’s example — canceling human drivers to wait for robots — that workforce risks being pushed aside, with automation directly replacing people rather than complementing them.
Many believe that the early signs in Atlanta could be the “first crack” in Uber’s labor model. For Uber, autonomy has always been part of its long game. Labor is its single biggest cost, and replacing drivers with driverless cars is a way to lower expenses and eventually boost profitability.
Former CEO Travis Kalanick openly admitted the company’s survival depended on driverless cars. While the company now frames partnerships like the one with Waymo as “expanding choice,” the trajectory is clear.
But the transformation is far from complete. Robotaxis still face skepticism, safety concerns, and regulatory hurdles. Crashes involving autonomous systems have kept regulators cautious, and polls consistently show Americans are more uneasy than excited about self-driving technology.
Frank McCleary, a partner at consulting firm Arthur D. Little’s automotive and manufacturing practice, said deadly accidents involving self-driving vehicles are one reason that potential riders might be wary.
“That negative news cycle has sort of pushed some folks away from it,” he told Business Insider.
Yet for a growing number of riders, those hesitations are secondary to convenience. “New tech doesn’t become massively adopted overnight,” Galesic said. “But once you’ve experienced a driverless ride, it’s hard to go back.”
The long-term question is no longer whether Uber drivers will be replaced, but how fast — and whether the gig economy that reshaped modern work can survive this tech evolution.