I’ve been writing about Waymo from afar since 2017, so finally being able to actually use the product was a trip, literally. Last week in San Francisco, I took two Waymo One rides as a completely normal passenger.
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Compared to the human-driven equivalent, I had to walk 15 seconds to the Jaguar I-Pace that was picking me up rather than having it arrive right in front of me. Unlocking the doors involved tapping a button in the Android or iOS client, which was more or less like any other ride service’s companion app. The doors then pop out and you enter. Once you’re ready, there’s a “start” button on the touchscreen.
For the first ten minutes or so, I was enamored and took pictures like mad. I found myself playing around with the screen where a bird’s eye view showed the car and what was around it. There was music from several iHeartRadio stations, but the real treat was Cast.
On your phone, the car appears in the standard Cast menu as “Waymo.” You don’t have to be connected to the car’s Wi-Fi network (if one even existed), with Google announcing Cast for cars at I/O 2022. The example provided at the time was Casting a YouTube video to an infotainment screen. This system presumably has a new way to broadcast itself as a Cast receiver without needing to be on a local network, which is somewhat like the old Chromecast Guest Mode that leveraged ultrasonic pairing to transfer a PIN so that you Cast while on a different network or cellular, like I did in the Waymo.
However, after the initial excitement, it immediately felt ordinary – so much so, that I pulled out my laptop to work just as I would in any other situation. On my very first fully autonomous ride, I was not so worried that I had to focus on the road and the virtual representation.
There are security cameras at the front of the car and at the back. These only record video and not audio, with the microphone only activated when you’ve contacted support. The rear camera is positioned just next to your head, and I think it has a pretty good view of my phone (and laptop screen). This feels slightly invasive. I’m more than fine with security cameras looking straight at just my face, but if it sees any part of my screen, I’d avoid using my devices while riding.
Waymo PR tells us that the cameras are not continuously monitoring during a ride, and is itself only activated when contacting support, a passenger unbuckles for an extended period, checking to make sure the care is clean, and that nothing was left behind at the end of the ride.
You’re given a heads-up as you approach your destination; this is where I hit my first edge case. When we arrived, Waymo started looking for a place to pull over. There weren’t many openings on this particular stretch. The one it found was behind a stagecoach that had initially stopped but had its lights on and was clearly still active. A human driver might have opted to keep driving and find another spot.
Waymo proceeded with parking – the words “Pulled over” appeared on the screen – and I quickly got out. After exiting, I watched the paused autonomous vehicle (AV) and stagecoach at a standstill. It seemed to me that both were waiting for the other to do something. It took several seconds for Waymo to decide to leave first.
Meanwhile, you have to pull on the handle twice to open the door. It does not automatically unlock upon stopping, “for your safety,” which is not a bad idea as it puts the onus on getting out (and not letting anybody else in) on the passenger.
On my second ride, the Waymo stopped for a few seconds in the middle of the road with at least two cars behind us and vehicles continuing forward to the left. The screens acknowledged that the Waymo vehicle stopped but did not say why. It remained stuck for a good 30 seconds or so, with the cars behind honking throughout. I was debating whether to signal with a hand through the back window, but ultimately did not.
Instead, I decided to call the in-car help, which has two options:
- Urgent Rider Support: For safety issues
- Rider Support: For general questions
I felt panicked (with the honking) and chose the first one. As I was waiting for it to connect, the cars behind went around the AV. A few seconds later the Waymo resumed. I was still in the call queue, and it connected as the car was proceeding normally.
The operator asked me if I needed 911 service, and I said no, quickly explaining what happened. I was given a general line or two about why a Waymo vehicle might stop suddenly. What specifically happened to me was not addressed and after a few more lines, the call ended.
I was not sure whether I chose the correct call option or whether what I experienced was a “general” one that shouldn’t have been brought to the emergency line. (That uncertainty will hopefully be addressed and clarified in the future.)
Waymo PR adds that during unexpected stops and other similar events, support will proactively reach out to riders to explain what is going on, and that my manual call might have preempted that.
The rest of the trip was uneventful, but I felt myself being a bit more cautious on the road. The watchfulness is unnecessary; it’s not like I could do anything to change the outcome – besides requesting that the Waymo pull over. I was asked to rate the experience, with the ability to leave written feedback wherein I again explained what happened.
Earlier on, at intersections when Waymo was waiting for the light to turn green and pedestrians were crossing, I felt the absolute absurdity when people looked at me. But then the ride continued, and aside from the two edge cases, it felt like a human driver was behind the wheel. As somebody who has a slightly deeper understanding of how the tech works and likes futuristic things, I trust autonomous vehicles, but even I’m surprised how quickly it felt ordinary.
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