TechCrunch Mobility: A robotaxi ultimatum SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 07: A line of Waymo robotaxis drives through North Beach on July 07, 2026 in San Francisco, California. Several Waymo vehicles were towed after the company said their batteries died while they were stuck in heavy traffic during Fourth of July celebrations in San Francisco. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images) | Image Credits:Heather Diehl / / Heather Diehl/Getty Images Kirsten Korosec July 12, 2026 6 min read UBER Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, how AI is playing a part. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility!
Turns out, quite a lot — including the end of the Uber-Waymo partnership in Phoenix. Uber and Waymo still have robotaxi service partnerships in Atlanta and Austin. The question is not if, but when will these agreements end?
But that isn't the most intriguing question, in my opinion. I am far more intrigued by how these two companies will behave once the remaining partnerships end. There is already tension with Uber executives taking not-so-subtle shots at Waymo.
I expect that once the partnerships end, these thinly veiled barbs will be replaced with more direct action. One battleground will be policy, specifically markets where robotaxi companies are angling to get access. This week, we saw another interesting development in the autonomous vehicle industry on the federal stage.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration administrator Jonathan Morrison issued a directive to autonomous vehicle developers, stating that it is unacceptable for their vehicles to interfere with first responders or law enforcement. The money quote: "Let me be clear: the inability to detect and appropriately respond to such situations represents a functional insufficiency. Emergency scenes are not rare or extreme 'edge cases.' As such, NHTSA is today issuing a call to action for AV developers and operators to immediately focus their resources on fixing this issue." Morrison's letter never calls out any one robotaxi company and it was sent to every AV developer listed in the Department of Transportation's Standing General Order.
But it sure seems like Morrison is directing the agency's ire at Waymo. A previous TechCrunch investigation found that Waymo — which operates the largest robotaxi fleet in the United States, with vehicles in cities such as Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco — has had repeated run-ins with first responders. And just this week, San Francisco supervisor Bilal Mahmood said he plans to submit a letter of inquiry to examine how autonomous vehicles affected public transit services and emergency responders following a July 4 fireworks show that resulted in massive gridlock.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
