Waymo is outsourcing fleet operations to African fintech Moove in Phoenix and soon Miami

Waymo is partnering with Moove, an African mobility fintech that offers vehicle financing to gig workers, to handle fleet management for its robotaxi service in Phoenix and soon Miami.

The partnership represents several firsts. It will signal Waymo’s arrival in Miami. And it is also the first time that Moove is entering the US market and working with autonomous vehicles. Today, Moove operates in various cities in Africa, the Middle East, India and the United Kingdom and has raised over $400 million from backers including Mubadala Investment Company and BlackRock. Earlier this year, Moove raised $100 million in a round led by Uber.

The partnership with Moove signals that Waymo is interested in outsourcing more of the commercial side of the business and focusing on developing self-driving technology as a driver-as-a-service model.

Waymo has been offering a commercial ride-hail service in Phoenix for years and has been offering its robotaxis there in the Uber app alongside Waymo’s native app Waymo One since October 2023. In early 2025, Waymo’s robotaxis will be available exclusively on the Uber app in Austin and Atlanta.

Waymo co-CEO Tekendra Mawakana wrote in a recent LinkedIn post that as the company scales autonomous vehicle operations, it plans to create an ecosystem of industry partners, including “charging infrastructure partners; fleet maintenance partners; fully electric automotive partners such as Jaguar Land Rover…”

Moove falls under the umbrella of fleet maintenance partners. Waymo will continue to operate Waymo One in Phoenix and Miami, but Moove will take over fleet operations in Phoenix and help the company build the necessary charging infrastructure and depots for its Jaguar I-Paces fleet in Miami. Waymo plans to hand over operations to Phoenix-based Moove early next year.

In Miami, Waymo will begin small-scale testing in early 2025, with the goal of launching a fully driverless commercial ride-hail service in the city in 2026. While the company conducts testing, Moove will build the infrastructure that Waymo needs to deploy in Miami, according to a Waymo spokesperson.

Waymo’s strategy for expanding into a new city typically begins with manual testing of a small fleet, primarily for mapping purposes, before autonomous testing with a security guard behind the wheel. Then Waymo brings out the driver and invites employees to ride along before it launches commercially.

Waymo would not disclose which Miami neighborhoods the company is targeting or what the financial agreement with Moove would be.

Advance into new markets

A Waymo spokesperson told TechCrunch that Moove’s experience in global fleet management made the startup an attractive partner to handle robotaxi fleet operations.

Once formed, the partnership represents a significant milestone for Moove: expanding its services to autonomous vehicles and establishing its presence in the U.S., a process the startup began nearly four months ago, according to job listings on LinkedIn.

Since its launch, Moove has been Uber’s exclusive fleet partner, purchasing vehicles and renting them to drivers who pay weekly until they own the cars. In 2022, Moove announced plans to become the largest EV partner on the Uber platform in London. By the end of 2025, the company will deploy up to 10,000 electric vehicles and over 6,000 charging points, in line with Uber’s goal of becoming a fully electric platform in the British capital next year.

While Moove may be looking for new partnerships (like this one with Waymo) around the world to differentiate itself from Uber, its years of experience working with the mobility giant will come in handy. It certainly helped attract Waymo as a customer.

Still, it’s a big step for Moove to manage the operations of Waymo’s autonomous fleets in two major U.S. cities. It expands the company’s global reach into the biggest leagues – as it diversifies its offering beyond Africa and emerging markets – and demonstrates its ability to handle complex fleet operations in diverse markets.

Moove has further plans in the US, according to job postings on the company’s website. There are several listings for a potential service in Los Angeles, although their nature is unclear.

A Waymo spokesperson said the two have no plans to launch together in LA, where Waymo currently operates a commercial service.

When contacted, a Moove spokesperson confirmed that the company is recruiting for its growing U.S. team, but declined to provide details.