Drive My Car

Innovative car-sharing program takes Austin for an exclusive test drive

Want to share a car with your friends? Now you can.

Photo by Kevin McCauley

Transportation and mobility issues are a major concern across Austin, but one company is stepping in with an interesting solution. An innovative new program from Ford takes car-sharing to a new level, allowing Austinites to share the lease on a new vehicle.

Available only in Austin, Ford Credit Link allows a group of three to six Texas residents to co-sign on a two-year lease. The program, which launched in February, is "aimed at consumers who don't need a vehicle all the time but would still like access to their own set of wheels."

Target users include co-workers, roommates, and large families.

Austin was the obvious choice for a testing ground. "Austin has the right mix of demographics and transportation habits for this pilot," said Roby Robarge, Ford Credit's future product development manager, in a release.

"Central Texans embrace the sharing economy and new technologies. We think there's a good chance that tech-savvy students, neighborhood groups, and co-workers will take advantage of this one-of-a-kind program."

Sharing a car among several people may sound like a daunting project, but Ford is providing the tools to make the job easier. A mobile app will link to a plug-in device on the vehicle so lease members can track and share information regarding schedules, payments, and maintenance.

The Ford Credit Link pilot program is available at three area dealerships: Covert Ford, Leif Johnson Ford, and Maxwell Ford.

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Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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