Studies have shown repeatedly that rideshares lower transit usage and don’t reduce personal car ownership.
In the US, in particular, last mile transportation is mostly done by car. Transit cannot economically serve low-density suburbs.
In a city? It depends on price versus convenience. As more and more cars drive themselves, the city can get away with taking back more and more space for transit and cyclists. People should choose mass transit because it's convenient, not because there's no way to call a car.
This idea that companies have to be allowed to do business however they want is not something we just have to do.
We can as citizens and governments say “no, you’re not allowed to run a robot taxi company because it’s overall bad for our city.”
Laissez Faire capitalism is an ideological cancer to American society.
To be perfectly clear, the difference between an empty road and a Waymo is mostly academic if you're on a bike. The Waymo is just that good at respecting space.