Waymo Costs More than Uber

Obi ridesharing report shows that people are paying more and waiting a longer time for rides from Waymo versus Uber.

Obi is a global real-time aggregator that compares millions of pricing and pick-up (ETA) data points providing consumers and businesses with actionable data. The free consumer app allows riders to compare taxis, black cars and major rideshare providers instantly. Riders can search by car type, or pick up ETA and always book the lowest priced vehicle or quickest pickup. With over 1,000,000 users, Obi has partnered with dozens of rideshare and taxi providers around the world to help provide transparency in ride fares.

Waymo rides cost 41% more than Lyft and 31% more than Uber on average when comparing pricing at the same time and across the same routes. (Lyft is the cheapest rideshare option overall, with a mean average fare of $14.44; median price for Lyft is the same as the mean price showing a consistency in being the most affordable option in the market.) Waymo also shows the highest
price variability with a standard deviation of $3.65, suggesting that its pricing algorithm is more influenced by factors like ETA, consumer demand, time of day etc.

ETA – more Waiting for Waymo
ETA is the second most important factor in rideshare selection for consumers after price. Waymo, due to fewer cars, can have significantly longer ETAs, as well as higher prices in peak hours, showing that consumers who do choose to use a Waymo at these times are driven by a strong preference for autonomous vehicles.

Average Wait Times (Mean)
• Lyft’s range: 144.28 to 785.45 seconds (2.40 to 13.09 minutes)
• Waymo has the widest range: 75.00 to 757.50 seconds (1.25 to 12.63 minutes)
• Uber offers the shortest average ETA at 189.25 seconds (3.15 minutes)
ETA Range
• Lyft has the widest range: 144.28 to 785.45 seconds (2.40 to 13.09 minutes)
• Waymo’s range is 75.00 to 757.50 seconds (1.25 to 12.63 minutes)
• Uber has the narrowest range: 90.00 to 394.00 seconds (1.5 to 6.57 minutes)