Waymo’s Self-driving Cars Embark The Streets Of San Francisco

In Aug. 2023, Waymo taxis were approved for commercial transportation in California and were introduced to the streets of San Francisco. Waymo, a sub-company of Alphabet, describes their product as an “autonomous ride-hailing service” that utilizes a fleet of driverless electric vehicles. Since then, Waymos have become a regular sighting in the Bay Area city, inspiring mixed reactions from onlookers. Some residents support this advancement in technology, seeing it as a sign of a step towards a better future. On the other hand, however, critics say that Waymos and similar driverless vehicles use technology that is too new and has possibilities of malfunction.  Luke Schauer (10), says that he has seen Waymos “many times, mainly in San Francisco” and that they were “pretty cool” to him. He also went on to add that he would want to “test it and try it out”. In contrast, Ms. Thomas, a science teacher here at John F. Kennedy, described her first thought when seeing the driverless cars as “pretty ridiculous”. Thomas does not plan on trying out Waymos like Schauer, saying, “I’m too scared, I don’t think I trust it.”

Thomas’ mistrust and concerns of safety is a sentiment reflected by many, as some cite that the technology is unproven and the numerous accidents that have resulted. Despite Schauer’s openness to trying the robotaxis, he also states that he would remain cautiously optimistic. “... I’d be cautious the whole [ride] though, I’ve heard of accidents happening with them,” explained Schauer. I heard a story about one [waymo] running over a construction zone because it didn’t recognize it on the usual route.” Schauer continued and expressed his uncertainty about Waymo’s safety features. “[They need] better training for the software and more safety devices. I don’t know if they have airbags or not, or other safety features in case the car goes berserk.”  “[They need] better training for the software and more safety devices. I don’t know if they have airbags or not, or other safety features in case the car goes berserk.”  Ms. Thomas’ wariness comes from her belief that humans can make better decisions under pressure or in unexpected situations. “I think human intuition and reaction sometimes is better than the computer.” She also feels that unsafe habits may indirectly stem from driverless vehicles. 

“I also think that driverless taxis may make people think it is okay to drink and drive,” remarked Ms. Thomas. However, both were in agreement that driverless cars and Waymos would be the future of transportation. For them, trust will only be built up through time, and this new technology will have to improve to show itself as safe and reliable. 

 “I can see [driverless cars] being a bigger part in transportation and humans gradually being phased out as they become more reliable,” said Schauer.

Photo from Unsplash | Driverless cars use sensing technology to get around.