How do local mobility cultures shape the future of autonomous transport?
60 future Waymo users
5 cities
3countries: Japan, UK, USA
Waymo 5 Cities / all immersions
Methods
- Desktop research
- Horizon scanning
- Expert interviews
- Stakeholder immersions
- In-depth qualitative interviews
- Transportation ethnography
- City archetype development
The Opportunity
As Waymo expands beyond its established US markets, understanding how autonomous mobility fits within different urban environments becomes increasingly important.
Mobility behaviours, transportation infrastructure, attitudes towards technology, and expectations of ride-hailing services vary significantly from city to city. To support future expansion, Waymo needs a deeper understanding of how people move through cities, how trust in autonomous vehicles is formed, and how local transportation ecosystems shape adoption.
intO was engaged to deliver a multi-market research programme spanning New York, Chicago, Boston, London and Tokyo, helping Waymo understand the cultural, behavioural and operational realities that influence the future of autonomous transport.
Our Approach
At the heart of the programme was intO’s Immersion methodology, designed to move stakeholders beyond reports and presentations and into the lived reality of each city.
The study combined contextual research, expert interviews, in-depth qualitative interviews, stakeholder immersions and transportation ethnography. Local Researchers explored each city’s mobility ecosystem, examining transportation infrastructure, ride-hailing behaviours, policy environments and attitudes towards emerging technologies.
Stakeholders joined immersive, on-the-ground experiences, travelling through local transportation networks, observing mobility behaviours first-hand, speaking directly with residents, and engaging with local experts. Alongside these immersions, intO also conducted highly localised mobility studies, including an evaluation of ride-hailing pickup and drop-off locations in Japan to understand how local infrastructure and rider expectations shape operational decisions.
Business Impact
The programme provided Waymo with a detailed understanding of how mobility behaviours, transportation systems and attitudes towards autonomous vehicles differ across global cities. This is supporting their market expansion strategy to 20+ countries.
By combining cultural immersion with in-depth local research, the study identified barriers to adoption, surfaced market-specific opportunities, and revealed how trust, convenience and transportation needs vary between regions. These insights help ensure future services, messaging and user experiences are shaped by local realities rather than assumptions.
The research also established a framework for understanding urban mobility archetypes, helping Waymo evaluate future expansion opportunities and develop more locally relevant market entry strategies. From city-wide transportation cultures to the practical realities of pickup and drop-off behaviour, the programme equips teams to make more informed product, marketing and operational decisions.