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Waymo is supposedly planning on launching a ride-hailing service. Perhaps they can start giving rides to customers while continuing to test with a live driver (

Waymo is supposedly planning on launching a ride-hailing service. Perhaps they can start giving rides to customers while continuing to test with a live driver (to take over if necessary). The revenue from the ride-hailing service could offset the cost of testing, and allow them to operate indefinitely until full autonomy is ready and legal.

bob_theslob646 8y ago
Unfortunately the liability is too high for them to start taking passengers without thorough. The idea is pretty clever. People paying to be guinea pigs. Sure if people signed off, it would reduce some of the liability but that's still the golden question: who's responsible if something happens?
- ghaff 8y ago
  IANAL but seems pretty obvious. If I'm just sitting in some company's product and it causes harm to me or someone else, it's 100% on the company. Of course, anyone can be sued for anything but the idea that I could be criminally negligent because an autonomous vehicle I'm sitting in (whether car or train) killed someone seems absurd.
- jacksmith21006 8y ago
  Waymo has insurance from Munich Re. Do not think liability problem. https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2017/12/20/474893.htm https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2017/12/20/47... Startup Trov, Munich Re to Insure Riders of Waymo's Self-Driving ...
- tlrobinson 8y ago
  You can insure just about anything. At some point Waymo will be able to show the risk is low enough that insurance will be economical, if it’s not already.
bdod6 8y ago
ride sharing isn't exactly very profitable at the moment. I don't think the revenue would offset the additional engineering/product costs of just running the rideshare service, much less the cost of testing.
tim333 8y ago
>Waymo Early Riders Can Hail Actual Driverless Minivans Now http://fortune.com/2018/03/13/waymo-driverless-minivans-phoenix/ http://fortune.com/2018/03/13/waymo-driverless-minivans-phoe...

bob_theslob646 8y ago

Unfortunately the liability is too high for them to start taking passengers without thorough. The idea is pretty clever. People paying to be guinea pigs. Sure if people signed off, it would reduce some of the liability but that's still the golden question: who's responsible if something happens?

ghaff 8y ago
IANAL but seems pretty obvious. If I'm just sitting in some company's product and it causes harm to me or someone else, it's 100% on the company. Of course, anyone can be sued for anything but the idea that I could be criminally negligent because an autonomous vehicle I'm sitting in (whether car or train) killed someone seems absurd.
jacksmith21006 8y ago
Waymo has insurance from Munich Re. Do not think liability problem. https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2017/12/20/474893.htm https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2017/12/20/47... Startup Trov, Munich Re to Insure Riders of Waymo's Self-Driving ...
tlrobinson 8y ago
You can insure just about anything. At some point Waymo will be able to show the risk is low enough that insurance will be economical, if it’s not already.

bdod6 8y ago

ride sharing isn't exactly very profitable at the moment. I don't think the revenue would offset the additional engineering/product costs of just running the rideshare service, much less the cost of testing.

tim333 8y ago

>Waymo Early Riders Can Hail Actual Driverless Minivans Now http://fortune.com/2018/03/13/waymo-driverless-minivans-phoenix/ http://fortune.com/2018/03/13/waymo-driverless-minivans-phoe...