Waymo’s robotaxis have been a success in San Fransisco and are now making their way into Los Angeles. But don’t expect to see swarms of the driverless cabs weaving their way along Rodeo Drive or Sunset Strip.
The roll-out in San Fransisco and Phoenix has seen the autonomous taxis take passengers wherever they want to go, but Waymo has only been given a licence to operate in a limited area around downtown Los Angeles.
They will not be operating on Sunset Strip or the extremely busy Los Angeles International Airport, but will instead be found in an area bordered by Play Vista and Marina Del Rey in the south, with Santa Monica and West Hollywood to the north and at Little Tokyo to the west.
Welcome
The move has been seen as good news for passengers, according to Inside EVs reporter Mack Hogan, who is now a huge fan of the technology, having originally been a sceptic. He said his initial reluctance to embrace autonomous vehicles came from the limitations of the early software, but having experienced Waymo in San Fransisco, is now a convert.
Mack said: “Neighbourhoods like Silver Lake, Echo Park, East Hollywood, Ladera Heights, Brentwood and El Segundo are all outside of the service area. High-traffic areas like the Sunset Strip and Los Angeles International Airport are also off-limits.
“That makes sense, as we haven’t seen Waymo doing airport pickups or drop-off in San Fransisco or Phoenix, either. It may be a long time before any autonomous system can handle the chaos of a busy airport, especially LAX.”
Mack believes the expansion is big news for the city, despite the limited area they can operate in.
He said: “The rollout is a big deal, as it shows Waymo remains serious about expanding its service. For LA residents, I highly recommend giving it a try. Eight years of reporting on services like Tesla Autopilot made me a sceptic of autonomous driving, but one weekend in San Fransisco reversed that entirely.
“Hailing self-driving Waymos there was one of the most genuinely astounding technology experiences I’ve ever had. I couldn’t believe how well it worked, and how quickly I got comfortable with a robot driver.”
Successful pilot
After initial teething problems which we have looked at before, Waymo taxis have become a familiar sight on the busy and winding streets of San Fransisco where even neighbours who had been disrupted by honking robotaxis have become fans.
And Mack is looking forward to seeing how they will cope in the new environment. He said: “If it’s anything like San Fransisco, I expect prices to be a bit more than a comparable Uber, though roughly equivalent with tip included in the Uber.
“Wait times tend to be longer, and surges hit harder as the number of robotaxis on the road doesn’t change with demand. It likely won’t replace Uber for most people in the short term, but it’s an experience worth trying.”
Robotaxis are likely to play a big part in future transport. But despite predictions of fully autonomous vehicles driving and flying passengers around the world, the taxi landscape will probably consist of robotaxis existing alongside traditional cabs with drivers.
