3 ms·

You can open the door and get out if it's stopped. You can press the "pull over" button to have it pull over as soon as it can safely do so. You can call rider

You can open the door and get out if it's stopped. You can press the "pull over" button to have it pull over as soon as it can safely do so. You can call rider support or 911 while the doors remain locked to the outside. I agree that it's a slightly more vulnerable feeling than driving myself, but I still feel far less vulnerable than taking public transit or walking. And when you factor in risk of a crash, it's also safer than Uber or driving myself. I don't think Waymos will often be targeted by criminals for anything besides vandalism, with 20+ cameras and potential remote monitors the risk:reward ratio is much worse than other options.

rglullis 2y ago
> I still feel far less vulnerable than taking public transit or walking. This sounds incredibly dystopian. What hellhole do you live? What are the dangers you have from taking public transit?
- underseacables 2y ago
  Well, New York City, but that is more of an edge case. Most public transit in America is safe .... I think.
- fragmede 2y ago
  The other people on public transport, not the least of which from them is second hand smoke from either fentanyl or meth, not sure which, nor do I care to learn. I still ride the bus/trolley/tram/subway, especially when the streets are busy, but late at night I'll opt for a Waymo, depending on the circumstance.
  - rglullis 2y ago
    [flagged]
    - spankalee 2y ago
      I guess this old gem doesn't just apply to Twitter: > Twitter is the only place where well articulated sentences get misinterpreted. > > You can say “I like pancakes” and somebody will say “So you hate waffles?” > > No bitch, that’s a whole new sentence wtf is you talkin bout
      - DiggyJohnson 2y ago
        Ha! My thought was sort of related, which is never to start a response with "so" and delete all occurrences of "just" before submitting.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - creer 2y ago
      This is moving the goal post and then some. You asked why or where a person might prefer a much safer mode of transportation for themselves then exhort them for not fixing a social problem! In the case of San Francisco, the population as a whole - through its elections - supports having the mentally ill, the aggressive (whether it's drugs, mental illness, or idle entertainment), and the sick on the street and in public transit. Good luck with your project to fix that. Your help is needed.
      - rglullis 2y ago
        > In the case of San Francisco Is Waymo planning to stay confined to California only? The US? Car-dependent US and Canada? No, you can bet that their investors are betting they will be able to export their "solution" everywhere around the world.
        creer 2y ago
        And wherever Waymo deploys, it's pretty likely that people will be using it because there is a need for it - rather than ideological push to hand over money to Google. (I guess I was being unclear: not their personal inclination to hand over money to Google - but rather pragmatically having to make it from point A to point B within a set of constraints and available means including Waymo.) That doesn't prevent you from helping San Francisco with its problems.
        rglullis 2y ago
        Right, because drug dealers and VC-fueled companies never managed to get market share by price dumping and subsidizing the costs in the beginning to kill the competition. Uber is now finally posting a profit: are they now really cheaper/better than taxis? No, they aren't.
        simonw 2y ago
        "Is Waymo planning to stay confined to California only?" It's already live in Phoenix Arizona and Austin Texas.
- jasonlotito 2y ago
  Not the OP, but... https://www.tokyoweekender.com/japan-life/news-and-opinion/why-japan-women-only-cars/ https://www.tokyoweekender.com/japan-life/news-and-opinion/w... > What hellhole do you live? Do a search for women and public transit. This isn't just Japan, or Europe, or the USA. It's a real problem being discussed. Honestly, I feel like this is fairly common knowledge at this point.
- askl 2y ago
  > What hellhole do you live? The US I guess.
  - ghaff 2y ago
    You seriously think that walking or taking public transit in the US feels dangerous in 2024? It may have felt a bit different in the 1980s but, even then, most major cities were not in general hellholes even if some locations were sketchy.
    - unshavedyak 2y ago
      Around where I live there’s a lot of addicts and homeless who use that as primary transport. I don’t want to generalize of course, but the camps here are frequent spots in the paper for bizarre murders and violence. It doesn’t feel safe being around unknown variables like that, for me at least.
      - ghaff 2y ago
        Any large city, there are (large) areas I feel pretty comfortable in, especially not in the middle of the night. And there are areas I generally avoid including in cities that I otherwise consider "safe." I do think you need to be aware of the environment generally and, while there is always some risk (anywhere), you can alleviate a lot of it. I'm very familiar with a large northeast metropolitan complex and there are places/times I wouldn't go but lots of places/times I would.
    - askl 2y ago
      I don't know, I was just answering in behalf of the parent comment
    - nunez 2y ago
      hell yes it is if you're a woman and/or have anything valuable on your person
      - ghaff 2y ago
- minwcnt5 2y ago
  San Francisco. I do walk and take transit all the time, but I'm a man. My wife has been chased by mentally ill people bin broad daylight. The risk to me is low, but I still make sure I'm aware of my surroundings. I don't think this is unique to SF. Even in very safe cities there's surely a higher chance of being mugged walking down a dark street than riding in a 5000 lbs vehicle with tinted windows.
  - yowzadave 2y ago
    > there's surely a higher chance of being mugged walking down a dark street than riding in a 5000 lbs vehicle with tinted windows Please account for the danger of being struck by other people riding in 5000 lb vehicles with tinted windows!
    - xnx 2y ago
      Much better to be inside of a protective steel cage if there's a chance of getting hit by a 5000 lb vehicle.
  - consteval 2y ago
    I think in the long-run robotaxis are crime heaven. It's so easy to mug people in a robotaxi, especially when they're used like autonomous busses. Public transit is largely safe because you're in public. As soon as you put people, strangers, in a private little box with no accountability all bets are off. I think they seem good now because you're not riding with randos. Although, randos can still trivially stop the car. But this model is unsustainable, eventually you will be riding with randos.
    - krashidov 2y ago
      All of over the world there are subway cars where there are randos in the subway car with no security guard or driver. Essentially an autonomous "bus" scenario. Basically the exact same scenario you're describing. But it's not that dangerous
      - 2y ago
- yowzadave 2y ago
  I hear some people say this, and my first reaction is usually yours--where do they live that could justify feeling so afraid? My 12-year-old daughter rides the subway to school in NYC every day, and she doesn't feel endangered (a bit crowded perhaps). I feel safer sending her on the train with her friends than I would putting them in a car. Are there other cities where public transit is much more dangerous? I want to give GP the benefit of the doubt, but part of me wonders if this is an irrational fear fueled by media.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - s1artibartfast 2y ago
    I would say Oakland BART. I'm a 200 man and not particularly fearful. I couch surfed through the arab spring revolution, but I avoid that part of BART. I have like a 50% rate of hostile homeless and mentally ill people screaming and threating me. I would not send a 12 year old daughter on it.
  - xnx 2y ago
    Chicago. The risk spectrum is a lot broader than "will I be murdered on the train?". You can also have a deranged person come right up and spit in your face (happened to me). Not worth it.
  - ranger_danger 2y ago
    Also have a 12yr old in NYC and I would never let them ride the subway alone, nor do they have any desire to. I think perception and experience (direct or indirect) makes a bigger difference than just "where do you live". Some people might be scared by the media, sure, but we have both been personally assaulted several times on the train, and many more times simply freaked out and scared by weird people, and we know lots of others who have had similar experiences or worse, so based on that, no I don't think it's an irrational fear for everyone.
- s1artibartfast 2y ago
  Assault an beatings. Most people I know wont take BART through Oakland. It is fairly common to have to deal with mentally ill or high people threatening to gut and kill you. If you have ever been trapped in a box with an angry psychotic, you would want to avoid it.
JumpCrisscross 2y ago
> when you factor in risk of a crash, it's also safer than Uber or driving myself It’s also predictable. Uber and Lyft have been so desperate for drivers they’ve accepted people who drive dangerously, cancel at the last minute or plain can’t follow driving directions. You skip that with Waymo.

rglullis 2y ago

> I still feel far less vulnerable than taking public transit or walking. This sounds incredibly dystopian. What hellhole do you live? What are the dangers you have from taking public transit?

underseacables 2y ago
Well, New York City, but that is more of an edge case. Most public transit in America is safe .... I think.
fragmede 2y ago
The other people on public transport, not the least of which from them is second hand smoke from either fentanyl or meth, not sure which, nor do I care to learn. I still ride the bus/trolley/tram/subway, especially when the streets are busy, but late at night I'll opt for a Waymo, depending on the circumstance.
- rglullis 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - spankalee 2y ago
    I guess this old gem doesn't just apply to Twitter: > Twitter is the only place where well articulated sentences get misinterpreted. > > You can say “I like pancakes” and somebody will say “So you hate waffles?” > > No bitch, that’s a whole new sentence wtf is you talkin bout
    - DiggyJohnson 2y ago
      Ha! My thought was sort of related, which is never to start a response with "so" and delete all occurrences of "just" before submitting.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - creer 2y ago
    This is moving the goal post and then some. You asked why or where a person might prefer a much safer mode of transportation for themselves then exhort them for not fixing a social problem! In the case of San Francisco, the population as a whole - through its elections - supports having the mentally ill, the aggressive (whether it's drugs, mental illness, or idle entertainment), and the sick on the street and in public transit. Good luck with your project to fix that. Your help is needed.
    - rglullis 2y ago
      > In the case of San Francisco Is Waymo planning to stay confined to California only? The US? Car-dependent US and Canada? No, you can bet that their investors are betting they will be able to export their "solution" everywhere around the world.
      - creer 2y ago
        And wherever Waymo deploys, it's pretty likely that people will be using it because there is a need for it - rather than ideological push to hand over money to Google. (I guess I was being unclear: not their personal inclination to hand over money to Google - but rather pragmatically having to make it from point A to point B within a set of constraints and available means including Waymo.) That doesn't prevent you from helping San Francisco with its problems.
        rglullis 2y ago
        Right, because drug dealers and VC-fueled companies never managed to get market share by price dumping and subsidizing the costs in the beginning to kill the competition. Uber is now finally posting a profit: are they now really cheaper/better than taxis? No, they aren't.
      - simonw 2y ago
        "Is Waymo planning to stay confined to California only?" It's already live in Phoenix Arizona and Austin Texas.
jasonlotito 2y ago
Not the OP, but... https://www.tokyoweekender.com/japan-life/news-and-opinion/why-japan-women-only-cars/ https://www.tokyoweekender.com/japan-life/news-and-opinion/w... > What hellhole do you live? Do a search for women and public transit. This isn't just Japan, or Europe, or the USA. It's a real problem being discussed. Honestly, I feel like this is fairly common knowledge at this point.
askl 2y ago
> What hellhole do you live? The US I guess.
- ghaff 2y ago
  You seriously think that walking or taking public transit in the US feels dangerous in 2024? It may have felt a bit different in the 1980s but, even then, most major cities were not in general hellholes even if some locations were sketchy.
  - unshavedyak 2y ago
    Around where I live there’s a lot of addicts and homeless who use that as primary transport. I don’t want to generalize of course, but the camps here are frequent spots in the paper for bizarre murders and violence. It doesn’t feel safe being around unknown variables like that, for me at least.
    - ghaff 2y ago
      Any large city, there are (large) areas I feel pretty comfortable in, especially not in the middle of the night. And there are areas I generally avoid including in cities that I otherwise consider "safe." I do think you need to be aware of the environment generally and, while there is always some risk (anywhere), you can alleviate a lot of it. I'm very familiar with a large northeast metropolitan complex and there are places/times I wouldn't go but lots of places/times I would.
  - askl 2y ago
    I don't know, I was just answering in behalf of the parent comment
  - nunez 2y ago
    hell yes it is if you're a woman and/or have anything valuable on your person
    - ghaff 2y ago
minwcnt5 2y ago
San Francisco. I do walk and take transit all the time, but I'm a man. My wife has been chased by mentally ill people bin broad daylight. The risk to me is low, but I still make sure I'm aware of my surroundings. I don't think this is unique to SF. Even in very safe cities there's surely a higher chance of being mugged walking down a dark street than riding in a 5000 lbs vehicle with tinted windows.
- yowzadave 2y ago
  > there's surely a higher chance of being mugged walking down a dark street than riding in a 5000 lbs vehicle with tinted windows Please account for the danger of being struck by other people riding in 5000 lb vehicles with tinted windows!
  - xnx 2y ago
    Much better to be inside of a protective steel cage if there's a chance of getting hit by a 5000 lb vehicle.
- consteval 2y ago
  I think in the long-run robotaxis are crime heaven. It's so easy to mug people in a robotaxi, especially when they're used like autonomous busses. Public transit is largely safe because you're in public. As soon as you put people, strangers, in a private little box with no accountability all bets are off. I think they seem good now because you're not riding with randos. Although, randos can still trivially stop the car. But this model is unsustainable, eventually you will be riding with randos.
  - krashidov 2y ago
    All of over the world there are subway cars where there are randos in the subway car with no security guard or driver. Essentially an autonomous "bus" scenario. Basically the exact same scenario you're describing. But it's not that dangerous
    - 2y ago
yowzadave 2y ago
I hear some people say this, and my first reaction is usually yours--where do they live that could justify feeling so afraid? My 12-year-old daughter rides the subway to school in NYC every day, and she doesn't feel endangered (a bit crowded perhaps). I feel safer sending her on the train with her friends than I would putting them in a car. Are there other cities where public transit is much more dangerous? I want to give GP the benefit of the doubt, but part of me wonders if this is an irrational fear fueled by media.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- s1artibartfast 2y ago
  I would say Oakland BART. I'm a 200 man and not particularly fearful. I couch surfed through the arab spring revolution, but I avoid that part of BART. I have like a 50% rate of hostile homeless and mentally ill people screaming and threating me. I would not send a 12 year old daughter on it.
- xnx 2y ago
  Chicago. The risk spectrum is a lot broader than "will I be murdered on the train?". You can also have a deranged person come right up and spit in your face (happened to me). Not worth it.
- ranger_danger 2y ago
  Also have a 12yr old in NYC and I would never let them ride the subway alone, nor do they have any desire to. I think perception and experience (direct or indirect) makes a bigger difference than just "where do you live". Some people might be scared by the media, sure, but we have both been personally assaulted several times on the train, and many more times simply freaked out and scared by weird people, and we know lots of others who have had similar experiences or worse, so based on that, no I don't think it's an irrational fear for everyone.
s1artibartfast 2y ago
Assault an beatings. Most people I know wont take BART through Oakland. It is fairly common to have to deal with mentally ill or high people threatening to gut and kill you. If you have ever been trapped in a box with an angry psychotic, you would want to avoid it.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago

> when you factor in risk of a crash, it's also safer than Uber or driving myself It’s also predictable. Uber and Lyft have been so desperate for drivers they’ve accepted people who drive dangerously, cancel at the last minute or plain can’t follow driving directions. You skip that with Waymo.