Some people can clear careless and dangerous driving when they see it. Not me. I hate him and shake my fist in heaven like grandfather Simpson.
As a pedestrian and a motorist, I am almost hit by confused or careless drivers more times than it can count. Recently, my jaw went clumsy when I saw a driver stopped in a red light, then proceed to the intersection before the light turned green, all as I kept and watch their phone in their hand not run. It really is bad there.
You would think that experiences like these would make me a vague believer in autonomous vehicles. Since I live in the Gulf area of San Francisco, riding in one is actually possible. Waymo has been tracking paying passengers about San Francisco since mid -2024. The company also now operates in Los Angeles and Phoenix, and will open its doors to the public in Atlanta and Austin later this year.
Waymo and other companies robotaxi promise a rescue from the terrible driving, thanks to the programmed vehicles to obey traffic safety rules and laws. Imagine no longer the so -called California stops that send pedestrians obstructed behind, no car damaging traffic on the highway at dangerous speeds as their drivers were playing a video game, and no drunk driver that endangers life Everyone.
That sounds great, but as a journalist I am also trained to be skeptical about most things, and especially of developing technology with billions of private dollars and shareholders at risk. Plus, I continue to see viral videos and news stories for robotaxis – mainly wailos – making mistakes. They drove in concrete, surrounded the airport and entered the next traffic.
As Waymos gets more common, I wanted to see how the riding in one is and if the hype lives up to experience.
Waymo stopped a man to steal a driverless car
How is it to ride in a robotax?
I greet my Waymo in downtown San Francisco through the company app. When I entered Jaguar I-Pace, I knew what to expect. There would be no driver, but I would be able to see the wheel return along with the car’s movements. I also realized that we would not need a driver if everyone went well.
But if something unexpected happened, like a glitch that stuck us on the middle trip, I would probably want for someone at the wheel and had to rely on the backing of the client in the distance, which a passenger can call from a keyboard in the rear seat.
After settling in that background, I noticed the music she was already playing through the car’s speakers. I described it as “spa” music, short for the type of soundtrack you can hear while getting a massage. Not sure what this says to me, but I was immediately calmed down – until Waymo had to turn left in future traffic to start my journey to the Chase center. I wish I had been on my way to cheer for the warriors, but alas, my test journey had no purpose other than spending time on a way out.
The speed of baked light
However, first, we needed to do it beyond the road in a piece. I would have heard that Waymos were very careful, so I was surprised when the car executed an ambitious human maneuver. As the car collided with a narrow space behind a distribution truck and in front of a passenger car, I was reminded of some moments with white knuckle I had been driving in New York City traffic a long time ago. Thankfully, no future drivers were coming to their horn, screaming with my car without a driver for cutting them.
Waymo driverless cars are coming to these other cities
After that, the trip was extremely quiet. To my great pleasure, Waymo slowed down and stopped at every intersection we approached. On the keyboard screen in front of me, I can see what the car’s sensors perceived around it, including gray figures representing pedestrians in and outside the sidewalk. It is true, sometimes tragically, that human drivers are oblivious to pedestrians, and the screen gave me more confidence in Waymo’s initial ability to navigate a wild street of the city.
I noticed that my Waymo took a very roundabout route to the Chase center but it factors in a Number of variables This is not always clear to the passenger, such as road conditions and construction. Unlike a human travel stock driver, you can’t run a way out on your favorite path.
The trip, just scared of two and three-quarters of a mile, lasted 17 minutes and cost $ 20.02, an amount that, honestly, would not have paid if I couldn’t be refunded to-or really see the fighters of played and was late for tip-off. A comparison against Google Maps estimated a shorter trip as in the distance (2 miles) and duration (12 minutes).
I got two additional trips that morning. At the time I would cover 6.2 miles of land in an hour in an hour, I would have paid nearly $ 50. The travels were largely pleasant, but even more costly than I expected. To get home that afternoon, I made a travel action from the Bay Area version of the subway and paid $ 10.99 to go 2.8 miles, including the type.
What do you get for Waymo Premium
Premium Waymo may be worth some.
Jeffrey Tumlin, a regular rider of Waymo who recently served as Director of San Francisco Municipal Transport Transport Transport, told me he has heard from many women and trans people who prefer Waymo for security reasons. There is no control of their gender identity, confrontational interactions or riding in fear, with the emergency button open in their application the duration of their journey. (For more about robotaxis general security, read this story.)
As a woman who has felt insecure in a human traveling vehicle, I can see absolutely paying a way out on certain scenarios. At the same time, people have understood ways to tease differently – or terrorize – Waymo knights.
Last fall, a female Waymo knight in San Francisco could not continue with her journey When two men stood in front of her, looking for her phone number. The knight contacted Waymo’s customer support through the car rear keyboard.
New Lyft feature matches women and drivers and non -Binar motorists
Some knights may also like to travel alone, without pressure to talk, whether they are concerned about their personal safety. I probably entered a tired journey route after a long day, hoping to only exchange pleasure with the driver. But I also like to talk to drivers when my energy level is high and our personalities are a match, maybe because my work involves talking to people I have never met before.
I am concerned that an autonomous, great written future will eliminate daily opportunities to connect with other people, even quickly. These are moments that can further train our ability to see strangers as people with their hopes and dreams, who may be someone’s son or mother, whom we may be able to extend compassion or understanding.
Why am I writing about this sincere dynamics in a compilation of Waymo? Because after getting a one I can see how ordering a driverless car is a suitable but intricate choice that includes trade. There are daily shopping, how to know that travel can last longer, but at least you will be able to sit quietly. However, boarding a robotax is also about negotiating your humanity in an increasingly technological world.
Everyone will develop their unique meaning what this means to them, but it would be wrong to claim that greeting a driverless car is an indecisive action.
Themes
Good social cars