Mission: To promote driving less so all may live more.
My ride in a driverless taxi confirmed my thought that machines are safer than human drivers. I had arrived in San Francisco to visit a friend in December, 2024. While walking through a neighborhood, I was encouraged when a driverless taxi stopped at a crosswalk (“Hallelujah!”).
A couple of days later, I hailed a ride using the “Waymo” app and enjoyed the ride (whose video is embedded below).
Waymo was spun off from Google and has made deals with Lyft and Über to work in partnership. The cars, modified Jaguars, are very expensive and currently operate in a couple of cities in California and in Phoenix, AZ. China and Singapore are also among the first countries to develop and use driverless taxis. Tesla plans to have two models available in 2027.
For anyone concerned about pedestrian and bicycle safety, these are a big step forward. Removing the human element greatly increases the precision of the driving. The taxi will drive at the speed limit or under, monitor sidewalks and crossings for pedestrians, (usually) avoid bicycles, and never engage in road rage.