5 days ago
Get ready, Boston. Here's what it's like to ride in a self-driving Waymo car.
Though the robotaxi revolution came to Los Angeles in November, I hadn't had the opportunity or the reason to try it out. I don't use ride-hailing services that much at home because I prefer driving my own car, thank you very much. And besides, Waymo One isn't yet taking
On Memorial Day weekend, however, I flew to San Francisco for a commencement ceremony. Rather than rent a car, I decided to give Waymo a whirl so I could report back to people whose cities are next on the list for driverless car occupation, such as Atlanta and Miami and, at some point,
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I wasn't nervous, but I was prepared for the unexpected. Though Waymo's white Jaguars have been operating commercially for more than a year and a half, this is still new technology. There have been plenty of troubling stories about robotaxis
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And then there was Mike Johns's wild Waymo ride. In early January, Johns posted
But I was comforted that the vast majority of Waymo's
And indeed, my two San Francisco rides were neither wild nor nerve-wracking. Even using the Waymo One app was easy. After I ordered the car, I watched the car progress to a designated stopping point. I briefly wondered how I would tell if it was the right Waymo; they all look the same, with their black top hats and spinning side sensors. Then I saw my initials glowing on the rooftop sensor and got in and said 'hi.' Habit.
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Yes, it's weird to watch a steering wheel move itself. But like anything, you get used to it. Other than a few jerky accelerations, it was smooth riding. My 'drivers' didn't change lanes unnecessarily or hesitate over yellow lights. They obeyed traffic laws much more than I do. At one point a pedestrian with an apparent death wish dashed in front of the car, which stopped immediately and didn't utter a curse under its breath (though I did). I could even watch what the 'driver' was seeing; the center console displayed all the obstacles its lidar (
Generally, I felt safe. Whether I will feel the same way on a high-speed highway trip one day or as a pedestrian is another story. But I did miss the human connection. I have had some amazing conversations with ride-share drivers over the years, most of whom are happy to talk about why they drive as well as recount some of the stranger experiences they've had. In between the Waymo rides, I took an Uber and I found out during the course of the ride the driver had recently worked with a dog-rescue operation in Los Angeles. Cool.
But from my view in California, the robotaxi takeover of the roads feels like an inevitability. Right now, Waymo-biles are only open to customers in four cities, including Phoenix and Austin. But the company plans to extend service to Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Miami later this year.
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Though Waymo may be in the lead, other robotaxi services are catching up. Elon Musk announced
It's worth noting that driverless taxi companies have so far focused their operations in locations with little to no snow, which has been a problem for the technology in the past. But I have no doubt that, inclement weather or not, robotaxis will invade the north before too long. At least it will be a comfortable ride.
