Waymo launches transit rewards: $2.85 in Waymo Cash for linking rides to public transit

Waymo announced a transit rewards program on September 22 that credits riders for combining its robotaxi trips with public transport. The company is launching it first in the San Francisco Bay Area, with more cities to follow, and describes the initiative as the first of its kind in the industry. Access opens to Waymo employees first and will roll out gradually to the public in the coming weeks.

The program runs on Waymo Cash, the credit riders can apply to future trips. To take part, a rider links a Visa card in the Waymo app. When that card is used for a Waymo trip and for public transit within two hours of each other in the Bay Area, Waymo automatically issues $2.85 in Waymo Cash — the cost of a bus fare in San Francisco.

How the program works

Transit rewards applies to all 27 Bay Area transit agencies that accept contactless Visa tap-to-pay and works alongside the regional transfer discount programs and the tap-to-pay model introduced across the Bay Area last December.

Surveys cited by the company show that more than half of Waymo riders in its most mature service areas — San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix — already use public transit.

Caltrain partnership and earlier pilots

Alongside the launch, Waymo announced a partnership with Caltrain, which also accepts tap-to-pay. The company will lease 40 dedicated parking spaces at Caltrain stations so that staged vehicles are ready for riders connecting to trains, a model it hopes to replicate with other transit agencies.

The launch builds on earlier transit credit pilots in San Francisco and Los Angeles, Waymo's addition to the LA Metro Mobility Wallet program and a microtransit partnership with Via in Chandler, Arizona.

What officials say

"Governor Newsom has challenged all of us to build a transportation system that meets Californians where they are, and that means making the trip to the station as effortless as the train ride itself," said California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin. San José Mayor Matt Mahan said the partnership "uses new technology to strengthen public transit, not replace it."

"Shared mobility is a team effort, and our autonomous ride-hailing service helps expand clean transportation options for everyone," said Adam Lenz, Waymo's head of Sustainability & Environment. The company says it aims to expand the program and its transit agency partnerships to more cities over time.