Waymo’s robotaxi rides are more expensive than Uber and Lyft rides, but some people are still willing to pay the extra costs, a new study found.
Obi, a rideshare price comparison platform, published a study that compared about 90,000 “offer records” — or quoted prices — between March 25 and April 25 in San Francisco. The platform compared prices between Waymo, UberX, and Lyft Standard.
The study found that the average price of a Waymo ride is $20.43, which is $5.99 more than an average Lyft ride and $4.85 more than an average Uber ride. The average price of a Lyft was $14.44, while the average price of an Uber was $15.58.”
“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,” the study said.
The study also looked at price differences during peak hours. It found that during the evening rush hour between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., a Waymo was about $11 more expensive than Lyft and nearly $9.50 more for an Uber.
That Waymo is more expensive than Uber and Lyft is consistent throughout the entire day, with the smallest price gap occurring at around 5 a.m., the study said.
Still, some people appear to be willing to bite the extra couple of bucks.
Obi also distributed a consumer sentiment survey about Waymo to about 500 people, focusing on California and Phoenix, where robotaxis are available.
A majority of respondents — about 70% — said they prefer “the experience of Waymo vs a regular rideshare with a driver,” according to the study.
When costs become a factor, 42.7% of respondents said they’d be willing to pay more, but it would depend on how much more it would cost.
Around 16.3% of respondents said they’d pay up to $10 more, while 10.1% of respondents said they’d pay up to $5. Another 16.3% of respondents said they would only pay less than $5.
Meanwhile, 39.1% of respondents said they would only pay the same or less for a Waymo and 26.8% of respondents said they wouldn’t take one at all.
While the study doesn’t factor in tipping to the final cost of an Uber and Lyft, 26% of respondents said that they prefer Waymo because they don’t have to leave a tip.
Some Waymo fans who have previously spoken to Business Insider point to this flexibility and the overall experience of having a car to themselves.
“Waymo is simply a better value,” Kevin Hartz, a VC and early Uber angel investor, told BI back in February.
Data published by the California Public Utilities Commission showed that the take-up by riders has quickly grown in the few years Waymo began to offer paid rides.
In August 2023, the number of paid rides for the month was 12,617. By March 2025, the number increased by more than 5,500% to 708,180 rides.
Waymo said in May that it has now provided more than 10 million paid rides across its operating cities in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin.
A spokesperson for Waymo, Uber, and Lyft did not respond to a request for comment.
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