Waymo introduces $30-a-month premium tier for riders who want faster pickups

Waymo 推出每月 30 美元的会员服务，为乘客提供更快的接驾体验

Waymo Premier offers a number of perks, including priority pickups and 10 percent cash back on every trip. Waymo Premier 提供多项福利，包括优先接驾以及每单行程 10% 的现金返还。

Uber One, meet Waymo Premier. The robotaxi operator announced a new $29.99-a-month premium tier for riders who want a more elevated and exclusive autonomous experience. The invite-only membership service is aimed at Waymo customers who use the service most frequently, offering them a number of perks, including priority pickups, 10 percent cash back on every trip, early robotaxi access in new cities, and up to five free cancellations a month. Uber One，遇见 Waymo Premier。这家自动驾驶出租车运营商宣布推出一项每月 29.99 美元的高级会员服务，旨在为追求更高端、更专属自动驾驶体验的乘客提供服务。这项仅限受邀加入的会员服务主要针对 Waymo 的高频用户，提供包括优先接驾、每单行程 10% 现金返还、新城市自动驾驶出租车优先体验权以及每月最多五次免费取消行程等福利。

Waymo Premier will be initially offered to select riders in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, the company said. The program will scale to new cities as Waymo continues to expand; the company has said it expects to be operating in 20 cities by the end of 2026. Waymo Premier members will be able to use their benefits in any of the 10 cities in which Waymo currently operates. Waymo 表示，Waymo Premier 将首先向旧金山、洛杉矶和凤凰城的特定乘客开放。随着 Waymo 的持续扩张，该计划将推广至更多城市；公司预计到 2026 年底将在 20 个城市开展业务。目前，Waymo Premier 会员可以在 Waymo 现已运营的 10 个城市中的任何一个使用其会员权益。

Waymo has been surveying its current users about a potential subscription service. The Driverless Digest’s Harry Campbell got ahold of a survey asking about a potential Waymo membership program, with potential perks such as cash back and discounts for future robotaxi rides. The company asked about monthly plans costing between $9.99 and $29.99. Sounds like they settled on the latter. Waymo 此前一直在对其现有用户进行潜在订阅服务的调研。《Driverless Digest》的 Harry Campbell 获得了一份关于 Waymo 潜在会员计划的调查问卷，其中提到了现金返还和未来乘车折扣等潜在福利。当时公司询问的月费方案在 9.99 美元到 29.99 美元之间，看来他们最终选择了后者。

As Campbell noted, with a small but ardent customer base, it makes sense that Waymo would try to lock in the loyalty of its fans, especially as it looks to grow to new markets. Still, it’s hard not to wonder whether the company is jumping the gun by introducing a membership program while operating in only 10 cities. And unlike Uber, Waymo doesn’t have a food delivery business with which to whet appetites. 正如 Campbell 所指出的，鉴于 Waymo 拥有规模虽小但非常忠诚的用户群，试图锁定粉丝的忠诚度是合乎逻辑的，尤其是在公司寻求向新市场扩张之际。不过，人们难免会怀疑，在仅有 10 个城市运营的情况下就推出会员计划是否操之过急。而且与 Uber 不同，Waymo 没有外卖业务来吸引用户。

To be sure, Waymo has always been somewhat of a premium ridehail experience. The cars are posh Jaguar SUVs, soon to be supplemented by Zeekr-made minivans. In addition to the luxury of an empty car, the company’s fares have traditionally been about 30–40 percent more expensive than human-powered services like Uber and Lyft. In recent months, Waymo has dropped its prices, so now it’s about 12—13 percent more expensive than human ridehailing, according to a recent analysis by Obi, a company that aggregates real-time pricing and pickup times for multiple ridehailing services. 不可否认，Waymo 一直以来都带有一种高端网约车的体验感。其车辆是豪华的捷豹 SUV，未来还将增加极氪（Zeekr）生产的厢式货车。除了独享整车的奢华感外，Waymo 的车费通常比 Uber 和 Lyft 等人工驾驶服务贵 30% 到 40%。据实时聚合多家网约车价格和接驾时间的平台 Obi 近期分析，近几个月来 Waymo 已下调了价格，目前仅比人工网约车贵 12% 到 13% 左右。

Waymo’s own executives frame it that way as well. “When you talk about the economics, we are a premium service,” co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana told Bloomberg in 2024. “People are paying for the consistency and the safety of the Waymo driver and the Waymo service.” Waymo 的高管们也持同样的观点。联席首席执行官 Tekedra Mawakana 在 2024 年接受彭博社采访时表示：“从经济角度来看，我们是一项高端服务。人们支付费用是为了获得 Waymo 司机和 Waymo 服务所带来的稳定性和安全性。”

It may be a bit early in its history to be offering a premium tier, but Waymo clearly has its sights set on mainstream success. It also needs to identify additional sources of revenue as its expansion costs continue to grow. Earlier this year, the company raised $16 billion in a funding round led by Dragoneer Investment Group, a “crossover” firm known for investing in late-stage tech companies before they go public. Waymo Premier is sure to signal to investors that the company is serious about targeting its most loyal customers. 虽然在公司发展史上推出高级会员服务可能为时尚早，但 Waymo 显然已将目标锁定在主流市场的成功上。随着扩张成本的不断增加，它也需要寻找额外的收入来源。今年早些时候，该公司在由 Dragoneer Investment Group 领投的一轮融资中筹集了 160 亿美元，该投资公司是一家以投资上市前后期科技公司而闻名的“跨界”投资机构。Waymo Premier 无疑向投资者释放了一个信号：公司正认真对待并深耕其最忠诚的客户群体。