Waymo is bringing back a transit discount program, this time in partnership with Visa. Customers in the San Francisco Bay Area who pay for a Waymo ride with a Visa credit card within two hours of taking public transit will receive a $2.85 credit on their account. The credit applies to future Waymo trips and is added automatically, according to the company.
The program expands on earlier tests Waymo ran in San Francisco in 2024 and in Los Angeles in 2025. The key change is Visa's involvement, which gives Waymo a way to confirm when a customer pays for a robotaxi ride and a transit trip close together in time. The incentive is modeled on the region's public transit transfer discount, which relies on SFMTA's new tap-to-pay Clipper card system to offer reduced fares to passengers using buses, light rail, and subway services.
Adam Lenz, Waymo's head of sustainability and environment, said in a statement that shared mobility is a team effort and that the company's autonomous ride-hailing service can help people reach public transit networks more easily while improving transportation ecosystems. He said Waymo is excited to work with local transit agencies and to bridge the transportation gap for commuters, tourists, and others through the new transit rewards program.
The announcement comes as some transportation experts warn that autonomous vehicles could pull riders away from buses and trains, potentially leading to service cuts. These critics note that most ridesharing customers prefer not to switch between modes of transportation and simply want to reach their destination. They also point out that regular transit users, who tend to have lower incomes, often struggle to afford rideshare trips, and that autonomous vehicles frequently present themselves as answers to traffic congestion while adding to it.
Waymo has pushed back on the idea that it works against transit. The company points to surveys showing that more than 50 percent of its customers in its top cities also use transit, which it cites as evidence that it can coexist with subways and buses. Alongside the discount program, Waymo announced dozens of dedicated robotaxi staging spaces at Caltrain stations, which the company says will cut wait times for commuters traveling to and from train stations.
Waymo says it plans to expand both the discounts and the dedicated staging spots to additional cities over time.
More technology news from TechManNews.
