WAYMO Wows with Driverless Taxi Service
VIA SBINSIDER REPORTING STAFF| November 3rd, 2024
Available in San Francisco or Phoenix now with Los Angeles and Austin coming soon, is this a good option for SaddleBrooke? It might be awhile before this technology hits our streets because of the need for density of rides demanded, but it heralds the future of autonomous driving.
Waymo LLC, is an American autonomous driving technology company. Google developed the self-driving technology in January of 2009. In 2015, Google launched driverless cars on public roads. In December of 2016, the driverless car became Waymo. As of last month, the “robotaxi” provided 150,000 rides per week with 1 million miles traveled weekly.
For those in SaddleBrooke who may not see as well as they used to or may not respond as quickly in a driving situation, a Waymo may be the right solution. You download the app on your phone. Based on your GPS, it knows where to pick you up. You tell it where you want to go and it takes you there, seamlessly.
Is it safe? While enjoying a Waymo ride in San Francisco, we had no incidents. Out of the million miles traveled weekly, Waymo has reported 17 crashes, mostly hitting stationary objects such as parked vehicles, chains, or gates. There are five other reports of traffic law violations. The company is working with the National Highway and Traffic Safey Administration (NHTSA) to “become the world’s most trusted driver.”
Amazon owns a competing autonomous vehicle called Zoox in addition to partially automated driving systems offered by Tesla and Ford. Both Waymo and Zoox are being investigated by NHTSA for vehicle collisions.
With a self-driving car, the driver won’t have a heart attack, pass out, drive drunk, or any other of the other human problems associated with vehicular accidents. Are you ready for the self-driving experience?
