Robotaxi Service Now Available to All in San Francisco – But At What Cost?
Waymo, the self-driving car company owned by Alphabet, has finally opened up its robotaxi service to anyone in San Francisco – but it’s hard to celebrate when you consider the company’s questionable track record and the fact that they’ve had to recall their software multiple times in recent months.
Just last week, Waymo voluntarily issued a software recall after one of their Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis crashed into a telephone pole. And in February, they recalled previous software after two of their robotaxis crashed into the same pickup truck that was being towed by a tow truck. So, what makes anyone think that this service is safe?
Despite these issues, Waymo is now allowing anyone to download their app and hail a robotaxi in San Francisco. This move comes just a couple of weeks after they launched their service in Phoenix, their first driverless taxi market. And while the company claims that their service has proven popular, with tens of thousands of trips each week in San Francisco, it’s hard to see this as a positive development when you consider the potential risks involved.
Waymo has been testing their self-driving technology in San Francisco since 2009, but it wasn’t until last year that they were able to charge customers for rides. And even then, they had to establish a waitlist, which nearly 300,000 people signed up for. But with the waitlist numbers now dwindling to a few hundred, Waymo has decided to remove it altogether.
So, what’s behind this sudden move? Is it because Waymo is confident in the safety of their technology? Or is it because they’re trying to silence critics and distract from their recent software issues? Whatever the reason, it’s clear that Waymo is trying to push their robotaxi service into the mainstream, regardless of the risks involved.
And it’s not just San Francisco that’s affected. Waymo has also secured another key approval from the California Public Utilities Commission to operate a commercial robotaxi service in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Peninsula, and on San Francisco freeways. But will this expansion be met with the same level of enthusiasm and excitement as their initial launch?
Only time will tell. But for now, it’s hard to shake the feeling that Waymo’s robotaxi service is a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.
