Waymo: The First on the Road

Just six days ago, I wouldn’t have believed that self-driving taxis could be a viable mode of transport. But after experiencing a ride in a Waymo this winter, my perspective has completely shifted. The technology speaks for itself: self-driving taxis are nearly here—and I mean it. Arguably, all the technology for the cars is complete; it’s the infrastructure that’s lagging behind.

Overview:

Waymo stands as the clear leader in the self-driving taxi industry, far ahead of its competitors in both innovation and safety. With 40 million real-world miles and 20 billion simulated miles driven, Waymo's autonomous vehicles have proven to be significantly safer than human drivers, boasting an accident rate well below the national average.

The Appeal:

If you asked someone, how you would feel about entering a taxi, having no risk of internal human mal-influence, having a defined path to your destination and it being safer than the average driver, how would you feel? They would probably respond great. In my opinion, the resistance toward Waymo comes from a hesitance to change, which is understandable. Getting in my first Waymo felt scary, there was no driver, no one to hold accountable if they ran a red or, worst of all, crashed but taking assurance in the statistics I had a mellow ride; people need exposure to this new tech and to somehow enter their first Waymo, that, I believe, will be the biggest gradual improvement for Waymo's business as time goes on.

Visionary:

Waymo’s ambitious vision is one where car ownership—and even the need to know how to drive—become things of the past. As a subsidiary of Alphabet, they’ve leveraged the technological power of Google’s AI and sensor expertise to create the Waymo Driver, a self-driving system capable of navigating everything from busy streets to complex traffic scenarios. With robotaxis now operating in cities like Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, Waymo is already turning the future of transportation into a present-day reality.

Iterative:

Waymo’s approach centers on continuous improvement. Their motto, "slow is smooth, smooth is fast," reflects their focus on years of testing and prototyping, incorporating millions of simulated miles alongside real-world driving.

Competition:

While competitors like Tesla and Cruise push forward with their own self-driving technology, Waymo remains the undisputed leader. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Beta has raised concerns due to its reliance on cameras and incomplete features, while Cruise lags behind in both miles driven and operational zones. Even traditional automakers like Ford and Volkswagen have scaled back their self-driving ambitions. In contrast, Waymo continues to dominate the space with real-world results, not just promises. Additionally, while the CyberTaxi has been announced by Tesla, which will probably be Waymo's biggest competitor, we are yet to see one on the road.

The Future:

Whether it’s Waymo or another competitor, it’s clear that self-driving taxis will capture an increasing share of the taxi market and expand its boundaries in the coming years. As the technology improves and public trust grows, the integration of autonomous vehicles into everyday transportation will likely disrupt not just the taxi industry, but personal car ownership and even public transit systems. In the long term, the widespread adoption of self-driving taxis could significantly reduce traffic congestion, lower emissions, and reshape urban planning, making cities more sustainable and efficient.