First ride in a Waymo RoboTaxi

[bizaro86]

Until it turns into oncoming traffic. Maybe you just get lucky.

I will not risk my life with Waymo AND save a few bucks with Uber ... or whatever human driver.

Uber is only cheaper if you don't tip. Surely you tip?

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

I used one last Spring in Phoenix. It was quite pleasant. Cheaper than a human driver ride share, even before tipping.

I thought the Waymo was more cautious than most human drivers. It maintained better following distances, and it was more respectful and aware of pedestrians, scooters, bicyclists, etc.

The Waymos are/were not allowed on freeways - surface streets only. I was totally comfortable riding.

+++++++++++

I think one fundamental technical advantage of self-driving technologies is that the vehicle is receiving and processing information from directions around the car, at all times, and without distractions. A human driver can only respond proactively to what happens to be in the drivers field of vision. If the driver is looking for cross traffic to the right, the driver won't see the speeding driver careening from the left unless and until the human driver looks to the left. The Waymo will catch that in real time.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Zero trust in self-driving vehicles

Google Search

"At one point, it (Waymo vehicle) just turned into oncoming traffic."

View attachment 118401

Which, of course, no human driver would ever do.

 

[TolmiePeak]

Very few humans (Uber, taxis, et. al.), drive into a lake and leave their passenger(s) afloat like Waymo sometimes does.

Source: YouTube https://share.google/xMCzmYbFrFnCTRyAr

 

[bizaro86]

Source: YouTube https://share.google/xMCzmYbFrFnCTRyAr

It's less funny than that version but human drivers actually drive into lakes pretty often.

Eg from 6 weeks ago.

Car drives into waters of Dow's Lake

A car drove into Dow's Lake on Monday evening, with the lone occupant of the vehicle transported to a local hospital.

ottawacitizen.com

Just posted yesterday:
Source: YouTube https://share.google/6o8ac5qIpChDiB5Oa

3 weeks ago:

Driver hurt as truck winds up in Nanaimo’s Long Lake

NANAIMO - A man suffered a minor injury after the truck he was operating somehow ended up in Long Lake via the...

nanaimonewsnow.com

Yesterday's trial report (from driving into a lake where someone died)

‘I need to get my girlfriend out!’: Court hears details of icy Ashbridges Bay plunge as man pleads guilty to careless driving causing death

Agnesa Shukulli, 25, died after a van driven by her boyfriend was submerged in Lake Ontario.

www.thestar.com

A trial report from 3 days ago on another one where someone died:

Redirect Notice

Those are just the first 5 from page 1 one a google search. But people drive into lakes all the time (much more than you'd think) because people, even ones who are mostly good drivers, occassionally have terrible judgement.

 

[stmartinfan]

Waymo is now testing cars in Minneapolis. It will be interesting to see how they handle what winter throws at drivers here!

 

[TolmiePeak]

Waymo is now testing cars in Minneapolis. It will be interesting to see how they handle what winter throws at drivers here!

Funny how the human drivers there are completely clueless in snow and ice. The first couple storms of the year have thousands of accidents in the Twin Cities.

 

[moonstone]

Just read an article that Tampa and New Orleans will be getting Waymo-robo taxis in 2026.

~Diane

 

[jp10558]

I used one last Spring in Phoenix. It was quite pleasant. Cheaper than a human driver ride share, even before tipping.

I would def try one if it was cheaper. That was my main point of disbelief, the claim it was more expensive. I strongly think that self driving taxis are going to just decimate human driven taxis when they're allowed and fully work. And I can see this potentially scaling out to even pretty rural areas over time decreasing the need for car ownership. If I knew I could get a ride within 30 minutes or so from an otherwise unmanned depot even out where I live, I can see not needing as many cars for a family. Flex work has allowed 3 of my co-workers at various times to go down to one 1 vs the 2 they used to require. The downside is sometimes they can't come in to the office when they otherwise would want to / need to because the 1 car is otherwise occupied. I could see them paying some minor (compared to owning another car) amount for the 3 days a month they need a ride to and from the office.

If the companies aren't too greedy (hah) I could see eventual TS like car "purchases" because much of the same situation holds for many many people - 95+% of the time the car is parked somewhere not being used at all. And a huge part of the cost in current rideshare is the human labor. If you can get rid of a lot of that, a 20 mile one way drive into work might well be accessible at close to the IRS mileage rate cost, or probably below that. Also, the self driving cars won't care if they're driving 20 miles one way, or outside the city or whatever, they'll just look at the likelihood / ability to get another fare or add in the drive back costs or the like.

I thought the Waymo was more cautious than most human drivers. It maintained better following distances, and it was more respectful and aware of pedestrians, scooters, bicyclists, etc.

The Waymos are/were not allowed on freeways - surface streets only. I was totally comfortable riding.

Once they can go anywhere a human driver could go this will probably explode.

 

[Cornell]

I used one last Spring in Phoenix. It was quite pleasant. Cheaper than a human driver ride share, even before tipping.

I thought the Waymo was more cautious than most human drivers. It maintained better following distances, and it was more respectful and aware of pedestrians, scooters, bicyclists, etc.

The Waymos are/were not allowed on freeways - surface streets only. I was totally comfortable riding.

+++++++++++

I think one fundamental technical advantage of self-driving technologies is that the vehicle is receiving and processing information from directions around the car, at all times, and without distractions. A human driver can only respond proactively to what happens to be in the drivers field of vision. If the driver is looking for cross traffic to the right, the driver won't see the speeding driver careening from the left unless and until the human driver looks to the left. The Waymo will catch that in real time.

I was in Phoenix in Oct and now they are allowed on highways.

 

[emeryjre]

The statistics on the latest self driving cars are widely available for those of us following the progression of Autonomous Self Driving
But something you find in a headline
More likely the headline will be a dramatic goof by The vehicle

 

[bizaro86]

The statistics on the latest self driving cars are widely available for those of us following the progression of Autonomous Self Driving
But something you find in a headline
More likely the headline will be a dramatic goof by The vehicle

Oh for sure - "car drives into lake" is a better headline than "another 1000 trips taken without incident".

Nobody is saying they're perfect, but they are getting better and there are lots of great use cases for these if they can become cheaper than rideshare/ubiquitious in personal vehicles

Eg: rides for seniors who can't/shouldn't drive anymore, rides for people who have been drinking, rides for kids/other people without a license, etc.

I'd love to be able to work while my car drives me around. Or have a seat that folds down to a bed and the car drives me on a road trip overnight, and I wake up the next morning at my destination.

 

[geist1223]

Driving into bodies of water does not just happen with self-driving cars. It has happened with people blindly following Google Maps.

 

[Brett]

Oh for sure - "car drives into lake" is a better headline than "another 1000 trips taken without incident".

Nobody is saying they're perfect, but they are getting better and there are lots of great use cases for these if they can become cheaper than rideshare/ubiquitious in personal vehicles

Eg: rides for seniors who can't/shouldn't drive anymore, rides for people who have been drinking, rides for kids/other people without a license, etc.

I'd love to be able to work while my car drives me around. Or have a seat that folds down to a bed and the car drives me on a road trip overnight, and I wake up the next morning at my destination.

Maybe in the future human drivers are banned

.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

I felt safe riding in the one described in my opening post. The car felt more cautious than many human drivers. I have had some crazy rideshare and taxi drivers over the years.

As for the cost, I have read that it is typically more expensive than other ride-sharing services; however, prices can vary. I receive discounts with both Uber and Lyft from different credit cards. Not to mention, if you're really into optimization, there can be sales or promotions on gift cards at some stores, and both Uber and Lyft sell gift cards, but I have never seen a GC for any of the RoboTaxi options. I don't use rideshare services enough to bother with the gift card angle, but it exists.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Doubtful that this delivery truck would have turned into oncoming traffic if it had been self-driving. And someone would still be alive.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/delivery-truck-crosses-into-oncoming-traffic-killing-poulsbo-man/

Zero trust in self-driving vehicles

Google Search

"At one point, it (Waymo vehicle) just turned into oncoming traffic."

View attachment 118401

 

[emeryjre]

I would def try one if it was cheaper. That was my main point of disbelief, the claim it was more expensive. I strongly think that self driving taxis are going to just decimate human driven taxis when they're allowed and fully work. And I can see this potentially scaling out to even pretty rural areas over time decreasing the need for car ownership. If I knew I could get a ride within 30 minutes or so from an otherwise unmanned depot even out where I live, I can see not needing as many cars for a family. Flex work has allowed 3 of my co-workers at various times to go down to one 1 vs the 2 they used to require. The downside is sometimes they can't come in to the office when they otherwise would want to / need to because the 1 car is otherwise occupied. I could see them paying some minor (compared to owning another car) amount for the 3 days a month they need a ride to and from the office.

If the companies aren't too greedy (hah) I could see eventual TS like car "purchases" because much of the same situation holds for many many people - 95+% of the time the car is parked somewhere not being used at all. And a huge part of the cost in current rideshare is the human labor. If you can get rid of a lot of that, a 20 mile one way drive into work might well be accessible at close to the IRS mileage rate cost, or probably below that. Also, the self driving cars won't care if they're driving 20 miles one way, or outside the city or whatever, they'll just look at the likelihood / ability to get another fare or add in the drive back costs or the like.

Once they can go anywhere a human driver could go this will probably explode.

You read Elon's game plan for Tesla Motor Cars

 

[davidvel]

I felt safe riding in the one described in my opening post. The car felt more cautious than many human drivers. I have had some crazy rideshare and taxi drivers over the years.

In my experience, Uber drivers are some of the worst I've ever ridden with. Every time we do it I am shocked at myself for blindly trusting some random person earning a few measly bucks to drive us.

 

[Brett]

You read Elon's game plan for Tesla Motor Cars

Yes, in the future it will be AI humanoid robots driving the Robo Taxi's

 

[TolmiePeak]

Yes, in the future it will be AI humanoid robots driving the Robo Taxi's

Maybe I could save time by having the robot do an owners update on the way from the airport.

 

[Patri]

I need to rewatch episodes of The Jetsons.

 

[dioxide45]

I need to rewatch episodes of The Jetsons.

I don't think the Jetsons had self driving vehicles though. They had flying cars, something we solved with bridges.

 

[Brett]

I don't think the Jetsons had self driving vehicles though. They had flying cars, something we solved with bridges.

yep - those old cartoons didn't anticipate artificial intelligence

 

[jeffox]

yep - those old cartoons didn't anticipate artificial intelligence



View attachment 118809

And they over anticipated the need for sprockets and cogs.

 

[zentraveler]

The Wall Street Journal | Page A001Thursday, 4 December 2025

Waymos Are Done Being Nice


BY KATHERINE BINDLEY
SAN FRANCISCO—It was like a scene out of a movie: a pair of white Jaguars zipping through a two-lane tunnel, changing lanes at the same time in a zigzag formation. But this one had a twist. They were both Waymos, the self-driving vehicles known for their achingly cautious behavior.
“I had never seen anyone switch lanes in that tunnel,” says Sophia Yen, a startup founder who was in her car behind the two autonomous ones in September. “It’s driving more like a taxi driver—an aggressive, New York taxi driver.”

For years while training on the streets of San Francisco and eventually transporting passengers, Waymos were the most polite drivers on the road. Pull up to a stop sign at the same time as a Waymo and it would wait, as if to say, “No, please, after you.” If you were trying to go around another car making a left, a Waymo was sure to let you in.
The training wheels are off. Like the rule-following nice guy who’s tired of being taken advantage of, Waymos are putting their own needs first. They’re bending traffic laws, getting impatient with pedestrians and embracing the idea that when it comes to city driving, politeness doesn’t pay.
In September, police in San Bruno, Calif., pulled over a Waymo after witnessing it make an illegal U-turn. Last month, a Waymo hit and killed a well-known neighborhood cat in the Mission district. On a recent Thursday in Pacific Heights, a Waymo at a multilane four-way stop hit the gas along with the car next to it so it wouldn’t have to wait its turn. Seconds later, the same car decided signaling a lane change wasn’t necessary.

Jennifer Jeffries, 54, has logged nearly 3,000 minutes in Waymos since May 2024. Until recently, the Pacific Heights resident wouldn’t take one if she was headed downtown. They weren’t agile enough. She once got stuck for several minutes behind another car that was double parked while furniture was being unloaded. She now has no problem taking Waymos downtown and finds they maneuver as well as an Uber driver, maybe better.

“They will go around a car or get closer to a car than a human driver would,” says Jeffries. “Sometimes I’ll be in the back seat and I’ll be like, ‘Ooh that was really close.’” One drawback: They seem to be mimicking Uber drivers in less-helpful ways: “You say pick me up at this address and they’re across the street, which I don’t appreciate,” she says

Marc Schreiber, 49, liked it better when Waymos were strict followers of traffic laws. While walking to the gym, Schreiber found himself in a crosswalk opposite a Waymo. As soon as he’d made it past the front of the vehicle, it started accelerating.

“I was taken off guard,” says Schreiber. “My next thought was, oh they’ve changed the programming to be more aggressive.”He was right. Waymo has been trying to make its cars “confidently assertive,” says Chris Ludwick, a senior director of product management with Waymo, which is owned by Google parent Alphabet. “That was really necessary for us to actually scale this up in San Francisco, especially because of how busy it gets.”

Ludwick says when the vehicles are too passive, they become disruptive. Regular software updates ensure Waymos aren’t becoming a nuisance or creating chaos.
Ludwick wouldn’t comment on specific incidents of rulebreaking. He says Waymos make common-sense decisions, which involve trade-offs.“The driver is designed to respect the rules of the road,” says Ludwick. “However, sometimes this is a nuanced topic and road rules can even conflict with each other.”
For example, he says, you’re not supposed to cross a double yellow line but you also shouldn’t obstruct traffic. So if you get stuck behind a stopped delivery truck, a human would go around it even if it meant crossing the double line. Now Waymos know to do that, too.

A Waymo spokeswoman says its vehicles have driven 100 million driverless miles across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Phoenix --and Atlanta. The company reported that compared with human drivers, it has had 91% fewer crashes involving a serious injury or worse. Cossette Drossler, 65, says a friend recently told her about a Waymo pulling a “California stop.” The car apparently slowed down but didn’t reduce its speed to zero. Drossler, who lives in Pacific Heights, feels conflicted. She doesn’t want to be behind a Waymo that’s coming to a complete stop in a quiet neighborhood when no one’s around. She also doesn’t entirely trust them to appropriately judge the risk. “I do California rolling stops. I grew up in San Francisco,” says Drossler, adding, “I only do it if it’s safe.”Waymo says its cars are designed to come to a full stop.

Police Sgt. Scott Smithmatungol was on patrol in San Bruno looking for impaired drivers when he and his partner got to talking about Waymos and how they were starting to drive more like humans.
Just then, a Waymo opposite them in the intersection made a Uturn. The pair looked up, saw the no-U-turn sign and put their lights on. The Waymo pulled over. As Smithmatungol’s partner approached the driver’s side window, it rolled down. A Waymo operator’s voice came on through a speaker.
“They said they would look into it,” he says. “They were really, really apologetic.” Currently, cops in California can’t cite a car without a driver.

The law is about to change.