Yo, robot: A word or two from Boston humans about self-driving taxis
The parochialism of my fellow Bostonians can be embarrassing sometimes. I've used Waymos in LA — hardly a paradise for drivers — and they did an incredible job. Not once did my Waymo sit at a green light because it was busy looking at its phone. (E Zola)
The only thing worse than a Boston driver is a Boston pedestrian. You will realize this by visiting other cities where drivers and pedestrians actually obey rules and laws. Having computers guiding cars can only be an improvement. (NicksterNH)
Get The Gavel
A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Enter Email
Sign Up
How can they be programmed to know that using your blinker is a sign of weakness? (mrdman850)
Advertisement
I don't think they will do well in Boston when traffic is heavy because they have a hard time merging into traffic. I have used Waymo a few times in both LA and San Francisco. When humans are trying to pull into the traffic lane from the side of the road there, a decent person will eventually give way and let the car in. I noticed in California that drivers are less likely to yield to a car with no driver. At one point I sat in a car for 15 minutes as it tried to merge, and I eventually got out and called an Uber. (Tim_Hill)
Advertisement
Years ago when my wife and I moved from Texas, where the road signs read, 'Drive Friendly,' to the city of Boston, where there is no such thing, we were rudely welcomed with many car horns for our ineptitude, particularly if we were first in line at an intersection and wanted to turn left but failed to bolt when the light turned green. We eventually learned, but only after months of cowardice. (MisterEd47)
Welcome to the definition of 3 milliseconds: the time from when the light turns green until someone honks at you. (user_1127668)
AI is coming for the human race. Make no mistake about it. In 100 years the human, as we know it today, will be extinct. (dewitt clinton)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
13 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Waymo Vehicles Ignite Protests Amid Public Disturbance Concerns
Santa Monica, California, residents have been up in arms over the beeping noises at various hours of the day and night from a Waymo-funded parking lot in the area. The 56-vehicle autonomous rideshare fleet, which uses a Santa Monica lot as a charging base, frequently beeps due to a state regulation requiring electric cars to make noise when backing up. Santa Monica officials only learned about Waymo's presence in the lot after receiving resident complaints. Anuj Gupta, Santa Monica's director of transit services, wrote to Waymo's city policy and government affairs manager in a Feb. 11 email: "What particularly surprised and concerned us is that this site had never come up as a Waymo hub or parking/charging location on any of our previous check-in calls-yet there is clearly a substantial Waymo operation occurring out of these lots that is drawing concern," according to The Los Angeles Times. However, Lauren Howland, a city spokesperson, added: "They [Waymo] were not obligated to tell us since they're renting it [the lot] from a third party." City staff also said that noise recently measured from Waymo's site was within city noise limits. Waymo opened up two charging stations for over 50 company cars in January. Santa Monica locals have tried blocking the Waymos from entering their company lot using cones, cars, and themselves. A strategy that Santa Monica residents call "stacking the Waymos" involves people sauntering in the vehicle's path to create a backup of the cars. One local practiced Waymo stacking so frequently that the company called the police on him six times and unsuccessfully tried to get a temporary restraining order, The Los Angeles Times reports. Waymo responded to Santa Monica residents' complaints by saying it: "Will continue to learn and improve how we introduce ourselves to new communities when we arrive." While beeping is cited as the primary noise concern, Waymo has taken steps to reduce noise from its parking lots, including buying quieter vacuums for cleaning the vehicles and banning vacuuming from 9:00 pm to 7:00 am, installing bamboo stands to absorb noise, lowering employee working hours within lots, and limiting speed in alleyways to 10 mph. Waymo opened its Waymo One autonomous rideshare service to anyone in Los Angeles in November 2024. For the most part, Waymo is considered the world's leader in autonomous ridesharing, with several U.S. operation areas, near-future plans to expand internationally, and a quality safety record. Reported issues associated with the fleet, like traffic blockages, tend to be limited relative to how many miles the company logs daily. Compared to human drivers over 56.7 million miles, Waymo had 92% fewer pedestrian crashes and 82% fewer cyclist and motorcycle crashes. Still, chronic noise complaints like the ones from Santa Monica residents are a problem Waymo needs to solve sooner rather than later if it wants to maintain its reputation, especially with how quickly people criticize self-driving tech. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
TechCrunch
19 hours ago
- TechCrunch
Tesla files new ‘Robotaxi' trademark applications after prior attempt stalls
Tesla has filed trademark applications for the term 'Tesla Robotaxi,' after the company's previous attempts to secure trademarks for its planned self-driving vehicle service hit roadblocks. The company originally applied in October 2024 for the trademark of the words 'Robotaxi' and 'Cybercab.' The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) told the company last month it needed more detail in order to allow a trademark for 'Robotaxi,' a term that is used by a number of other companies like Waymo, as TechCrunch first reported last month. The USPTO halted Tesla's application for 'Cybercab' outright due to the number of other companies trying to trademark various uses of the term 'Cyber.' Tesla submitted the three new applications for the more specific 'Tesla Robotaxi' phrase as it looks to begin testing in Austin, Texas later this month. It's looking to attain the trademarks to be used in reference to Tesla's planned autonomous ride-hailing service, the related mobile app, and the vehicles themselves. It's unlikely the applications will be reviewed in time for that test; trademark applications typically sit for months before they are assigned to an 'examiner.' Tesla also has applications pending for trademarks on the phrases 'Robobus,' 'Robus,' and 'Cyberbus,' presumably for the van-like concept vehicle it showed off last October when it revealed the Cybercab prototype. During that event, CEO Elon Musk referred to that vehicle as the 'Robovan.' But Estonian robotic delivery company Starship already owns a trademark for that term.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Will Tesla have to play catch up to Waymo's robotaxis?
Tesla (TSLA) looks to move into its "golden age," according to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, through the rollout of its robotaxi beta in Austin, Texas, on June 12. Waymo — whose parent company is tech giant Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) — remains Tesla's biggest robotaxi competitor with years of data to back it up. DVx Ventures CEO Jon McNeill explains what is still setting Waymo apart from Tesla. McNeill previously served as the president of Tesla (TSLA) between 2015 and 2018, the chief operating officer of Lyft (LYFT) from 2018 until the next year, and was a member of General Motors' (GM) board. Also catch Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management CEO Ross Gerber — a long-time Tesla investor and Elon Musk critic — share his thoughts on Waymo's robotaxi model as compared to Tesla's plans with Yahoo Finance. McNeill also discusses expanding investments into the AI ecosystem, beyond just Nvidia (NVDA), through this ETF in this clip here. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination Overtime here. Sign in to access your portfolio
