3 ms·

Though to be fair, in my area Waymo charges 2x the price of Uber and Lyft for the same service. Still pretty cool.

dyauspitr 2y ago
That’s not true, having taken quite a few I would say they are about 5-10% higher. I also don’t have to tip a Waymo.
rdoherty 2y ago
I've ridden a few times and their prices seem close to Lyft. I would happily pay a premium for the service they are providing right now. New, clean cars that drive very smoothly and lower rates of accidents than an 'average' driver. No weird smells, distracted drivers, inexperienced drivers, etc. I think in a few more years with the amount of training their AI will have Waymo will be a truly incredible taxi service. It can only get better!
- dmix 2y ago
  > New, clean cars that drive very smoothly.. No weird smells. One concern I had is that once self-driving cars are widespread people might take advantage and treat them poorly with no human driver watching. Where a human would likely notice and deal with weird smells or things added by the past customer. Waymo-type service probably rely on reporting by passengers once the car already arrives, no? (I've never driven in one) People might be treating them nice today because Waymo is a fancy new service in Jaguars that people treat as a novelty. Once those e-taxi services are under aggressive economic demands I'm curious to see how it plays out.
  - xnx 2y ago
    Waymo's have interior cameras on their vehicles. Any rider that leaves mess will get a strike and probably be banned for repeated infractions. You're right, some problems will only be noticed by the next rider.
    - dzhiurgis 2y ago
      Ahhh yes and your google account deleted for using hate speech while riding? Or will you ever be able to reach support once car takes you to wrong location?
      - xnx 2y ago
        The microphones inside the vehicle are only activated when you contact rider support. Maybe the cameras can do HAL-style lipreading...
    - PlunderBunny 2y ago
      Does Waymo's app give you the ability to cancel a trip before the trip start, with no penalty?
      - AStonesThrow 2y ago
        Cancellation fees may apply, especially if you do it late, or you're a no-show. If you purchase a GoPass, you'll receive a 10% discount on all rides, and 5 free cancellations.
      - xnx 2y ago
        Yes. I haven't had to do this myself, but I just read someones account of doing just that (because of delay, not mess).
  - eskatonic 2y ago
    There have already been incidents of people getting frisky in the back of the robo-taxi. Cameras be damned, I suppose. https://sfstandard.com/2023/08/11/san-francisco-robotaxi-cruise-debauchery/ https://sfstandard.com/2023/08/11/san-francisco-robotaxi-cru...
    - fragmede 2y ago
      Ask Uber drivers. Other people in the car doesn't stop people, why would a camera?
alexdejeu 2y ago
Interesting! Generally I've found the price comparable to Uber X. With the upside being that the vehicle and experience is closer to an Uber Black
AStonesThrow 2y ago
It's not "the same service". Waymo is closer to a proper liveried taxi service than a rideshare. The only time I use rideshares is for NEMT. I use a human-driven taxi, albeit much less than Waymo, and I book through the taxi company's app. The taxi company uses traditional medallions allocated by the authorities here. Their dispatch is traditionally over-the-phone, in fact they require me to answer the phone if I expect to get a ride. Their drivers--I don't know their employment status--seem to own their vehicles, which are fleet models, liveried, and usually identical. So I can always count on uniformity when I get in a car like that. The human taxi service usually charges/estimates prices at least 20% higher than an identical itinerary with Waymo. Waymo service is not Uber or Lyft. First of all, it's a liveried fleet vehicle. When I summon a Waymo, I know that they'll send a Jaguar I-PACE, and I'll know how to board it and fasten my seatbelt. That is absolutely golden knowledge to have. (Rideshares routinely give me panic attacks as I try and figure out how to seat belt when they've already started moving.) The Waymo has an absolutely uniform experience, because it's always "the same Driver". Human drivers I've met have been drunk, belligerent, rude, scammers, incompetent, unsafe, late, lost, wrong car, overly friendly/nosy, you name it. Waymo is none of these. Waymo's power trunk door means I can always stow my cargo, because the driver isn't living out of his car. Unfortunately, there is no human to assist me in lifting it, but there's room and there's a button to close it again. Of course the in-car experience is luxurious and relaxing. I don't have to be concerned with a jerk driver or entertaining the guy or pretending to ignore him. I can basically curl up and zone out. I feel safety and security in Waymo alone. The in-car display has plenty of telemetry to watch the 3D visualization, play music, adjust temperature, do what I want. There are always charging ports for my phone, cup holders, and sun visors. Waymo is a Godsend for me. And it's a Godsend for anyone in a vulnerable population who may be at-risk while alone with another human like that. It's about time.
- harmmonica 2y ago
  I comment so frequently on Waymo posts that I'm sure folks think I'm a shill... That said, I agree with this post fully and I'm not a vulnerable population at all. I can't say enough positives about the experience. I hope to God the safety record (no fatalities, minimal or zero serious injuries caused by a Waymo) continues because it will be a huge bummer if vasts swaths of the US (world?) population aren't able to take advantage of this in their daily lives. I really think it will radically change personal transportation. I also think competition would be great because that will force prices to remain somewhat reasonable so bring on Tesla, Cruise, whomever else can safely deliver a similar product.

That’s not true, having taken quite a few I would say they are about 5-10% higher. I also don’t have to tip a Waymo.

I've ridden a few times and their prices seem close to Lyft. I would happily pay a premium for the service they are providing right now. New, clean cars that drive very smoothly and lower rates of accidents than an 'average' driver. No weird smells, distracted drivers, inexperienced drivers, etc. I think in a few more years with the amount of training their AI will have Waymo will be a truly incredible taxi service. It can only get better!

dmix 2y ago
> New, clean cars that drive very smoothly.. No weird smells. One concern I had is that once self-driving cars are widespread people might take advantage and treat them poorly with no human driver watching. Where a human would likely notice and deal with weird smells or things added by the past customer. Waymo-type service probably rely on reporting by passengers once the car already arrives, no? (I've never driven in one) People might be treating them nice today because Waymo is a fancy new service in Jaguars that people treat as a novelty. Once those e-taxi services are under aggressive economic demands I'm curious to see how it plays out.
- xnx 2y ago
  Waymo's have interior cameras on their vehicles. Any rider that leaves mess will get a strike and probably be banned for repeated infractions. You're right, some problems will only be noticed by the next rider.
  - dzhiurgis 2y ago
    Ahhh yes and your google account deleted for using hate speech while riding? Or will you ever be able to reach support once car takes you to wrong location?
    - xnx 2y ago
      The microphones inside the vehicle are only activated when you contact rider support. Maybe the cameras can do HAL-style lipreading...
  - PlunderBunny 2y ago
    Does Waymo's app give you the ability to cancel a trip before the trip start, with no penalty?
    - AStonesThrow 2y ago
      Cancellation fees may apply, especially if you do it late, or you're a no-show. If you purchase a GoPass, you'll receive a 10% discount on all rides, and 5 free cancellations.
    - xnx 2y ago
      Yes. I haven't had to do this myself, but I just read someones account of doing just that (because of delay, not mess).
- eskatonic 2y ago
  There have already been incidents of people getting frisky in the back of the robo-taxi. Cameras be damned, I suppose. https://sfstandard.com/2023/08/11/san-francisco-robotaxi-cruise-debauchery/ https://sfstandard.com/2023/08/11/san-francisco-robotaxi-cru...
  - fragmede 2y ago
    Ask Uber drivers. Other people in the car doesn't stop people, why would a camera?

alexdejeu 2y ago

Interesting! Generally I've found the price comparable to Uber X. With the upside being that the vehicle and experience is closer to an Uber Black

AStonesThrow 2y ago

It's not "the same service". Waymo is closer to a proper liveried taxi service than a rideshare. The only time I use rideshares is for NEMT. I use a human-driven taxi, albeit much less than Waymo, and I book through the taxi company's app. The taxi company uses traditional medallions allocated by the authorities here. Their dispatch is traditionally over-the-phone, in fact they require me to answer the phone if I expect to get a ride. Their drivers--I don't know their employment status--seem to own their vehicles, which are fleet models, liveried, and usually identical. So I can always count on uniformity when I get in a car like that. The human taxi service usually charges/estimates prices at least 20% higher than an identical itinerary with Waymo. Waymo service is not Uber or Lyft. First of all, it's a liveried fleet vehicle. When I summon a Waymo, I know that they'll send a Jaguar I-PACE, and I'll know how to board it and fasten my seatbelt. That is absolutely golden knowledge to have. (Rideshares routinely give me panic attacks as I try and figure out how to seat belt when they've already started moving.) The Waymo has an absolutely uniform experience, because it's always "the same Driver". Human drivers I've met have been drunk, belligerent, rude, scammers, incompetent, unsafe, late, lost, wrong car, overly friendly/nosy, you name it. Waymo is none of these. Waymo's power trunk door means I can always stow my cargo, because the driver isn't living out of his car. Unfortunately, there is no human to assist me in lifting it, but there's room and there's a button to close it again. Of course the in-car experience is luxurious and relaxing. I don't have to be concerned with a jerk driver or entertaining the guy or pretending to ignore him. I can basically curl up and zone out. I feel safety and security in Waymo alone. The in-car display has plenty of telemetry to watch the 3D visualization, play music, adjust temperature, do what I want. There are always charging ports for my phone, cup holders, and sun visors. Waymo is a Godsend for me. And it's a Godsend for anyone in a vulnerable population who may be at-risk while alone with another human like that. It's about time.

harmmonica 2y ago
I comment so frequently on Waymo posts that I'm sure folks think I'm a shill... That said, I agree with this post fully and I'm not a vulnerable population at all. I can't say enough positives about the experience. I hope to God the safety record (no fatalities, minimal or zero serious injuries caused by a Waymo) continues because it will be a huge bummer if vasts swaths of the US (world?) population aren't able to take advantage of this in their daily lives. I really think it will radically change personal transportation. I also think competition would be great because that will force prices to remain somewhat reasonable so bring on Tesla, Cruise, whomever else can safely deliver a similar product.