Two key players in Silicon Valley's battle to define the future of transportation are teaming up, taking aim at a common enemy.
Waymo, the self-driving division of Google's parent Alphabet, and ride-hailing company Lyft are partnering to test driverless car technology, the companies have confirmed.
![Waymo's self-driving cars could find more test-riders thanks to the Lyft partnership.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170519040828im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/l/5/0/6/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gw5mnp.png/1494897005804.jpg)
Both companies face a bitter foe in Uber, and are seizing the moment as their rival stumbles. Uber, which is valued privately by investors at close to $US70 billion ($94 billion), dwarfs Lyft (which is currently only available in the US) in the ride-sharing arena, while Google is neck-and-neck with Uber in a race to develop autonomous vehicles.
"We can confirm that we are partnering with Waymo to safely and responsibly launch self-driving vehicle pilots," a Lyft spokeswoman said in an email. "Waymo holds today's best self-driving technology, and collaborating with them will accelerate our shared vision of improving lives with the world's best transportation."
![Uber has faced a number of challenges in recent months.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170519040828im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/s/w/n/d/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gw5mnp.png/1494897005804.jpg)
Waymo also confirmed the partnership, which was first reported by the New York Times. "We're looking forward to working with Lyft to explore new self-driving products that will make our roads safer and transportation more accessible," a spokesman said in an emailed statement. "Lyft's vision and commitment to improving the way cities move will help Waymo's self-driving technology reach more people, in more places."
Uber has faced a series of ever-worsening setbacks that have made the seemingly unstoppable juggernaut very vulnerable. The company is in a legal battle with Waymo over the potential theft of trade secrets from Waymo's self-driving car program. This week a district judge referred the case to federal criminal prosecutors for investigation. Meanwhile, Lyft has been benefiting from a wave of consumers that have quit Uber in disgust following missteps during the Trump administration's immigration ban, a sexual harassment scandal, and a leaked video of Uber's chief executive cursing at a driver.
The deal appears to play off the assets each company brings to the table. Lyft, which is privately valued at $US7.5 billion, doesn't have the resources to invest in self-driving car technology. The company has said it is not going to attempt to do so. But Lyft has a network of consumers that use the company's app. Waymo, which is not consumer-facing, could benefit from that network as it races to bring the technology to the public.
The Washington Post