Via Transportation (VIA.US) is teaming up with Waymo to launch an autonomous ride-sharing service in Arizona in the fall.

Last Friday, the newly listed American public transportation service platform Via Transportation (VIA.US) announced a partnership with Alphabet's (GOOGL.US) Waymo, to launch autonomous shared travel services in Arizona this fall. The project will first launch in Chandler. The existing Flex service in the area allows the public to book affordable shared shuttle buses through the app. A spokesperson for Via stated that during peak demand periods, the service will offer some users the option to book autonomous travel services through the Waymo app. For autonomous driving companies, partnerships with public entities are becoming an important new area of expansion as they strive to expand services to more cities. Last year, Waymo launched a public transit reward program in San Francisco. Waymo currently offers ride-hailing services in five U.S. markets and completes hundreds of thousands of paid autonomous trips weekly through its own app, as well as partner platforms including Uber Technologies, Inc. (UBER.US) and the soon-to-be-added Lyft (LYFT.US). In Chandler, Waymo's participation will help expand the capacity of the Flex public "micro-transit" service. Since the launch of the collaboration in 2022, Via has provided demand matching and route planning technology for the service. Via's software also allows the city government to monitor service performance and meet federal funding, compliance, and accessibility reporting requirements. Users can use autonomous services at the same price within the operating hours of the Flex project in the city, with a charge of $2 per ride. It is worth noting that Chandler was the city where Waymo first launched its autonomous ride-hailing service in 2020. By integrating vehicles into the city's public transit project, Waymo can ensure higher vehicle utilization rates and allow users to enjoy the service at a lower cost.