Live data from Hacker News

Waymo to test its autonomous driving technology in over 10 new cities

reuters.com

101–110 of 138 posts

Re: Waymo to test its autonomous driving technology in over 10 new cities

#101
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Also van or bus service is less compelling to individuals, as it makes them beholden to bus stop locations and schedules instead of picking them up and dropping them off when and where they want. Exactly this. The attraction of self-driving transit is the support for individual planning. Everyone gets a direct route to their destination, no delays stopping or detouring for other people. There's also increased safet…

> You're not being hassled, stalked, or threatened by random people. That's an odd thing to say. The only times I've ever been randomly threatened in public were on the road, by another driver.

>That's an odd thing to say. The only times I've ever been randomly threatened in public were on the road, by another driver.

There's a reason we let drunks ride public transit but not drive.

The bar for conduct behind the wheel is higher than on the subway because the risks and stakes are much higher hence why people get pissed off much easier.

Not getting accosted on the subway is a simple task of not crossing paths with the few people doing the accosting. Not getting accosted on the road requires actively performing in a manner that keeps thing flowing smoothly.

Re: Waymo to test its autonomous driving technology in over 10 new cities

#102
post #8

I hate ADS tech in cities so much. The pedestrian/pet detection is god awful. Doesn’t matter if you cross at designated crosswalks or just crossing the street. Many close calls. Cruise _was_ the king in this aspect and avoided them completely but Waymo is getting up there. Side note: GOOG and other tech conglomerates are clearly monopolizing the tech industry - from ADS to AI/AGI/LLM. It’s no wonder these companies h…

Would any smaller of a company had the funds to acquihire an entire darpa challenge team and have them seemingly fruitlessly work on autonomous driving for over 10 years? We have already seen what happens when the parent company is any less patient and deep pocketed, with cruise and GM.

Re: Waymo to test its autonomous driving technology in over 10 new cities

#103
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty certain they won't undercut Uber or other taxi services any time soon because they don't want to provoke the political headache that comes with it. That type of politics could shutdown their licenses, I'm sure they want to avoid that at all costs so they're pricing above existing services. What they may do is refuse to raise prices and eventually inflation will make them the cheapest.

They're already the cheapest if they match prices because there is no tip required. In the long run they'll inevitably be cheaper because of higher utilization of their vehicles and (vastly) lower labor costs.

This is a misunderstanding of the economics of taxi firms. Taxi companies don't pay for purchase or depreciation of their cars (the drivers do), but Waymo does.

Re: Waymo to test its autonomous driving technology in over 10 new cities

#104
post #37
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are they even profitable in SF or LA? I don't disagree with you, but if being profitable means charging more than Uber/Lyft and having slower trips on average than a human, thats not gonna work out too well. And these are the highest CoL cities in the us, meaning that if its not profitable there, might not be profitable anywhere.

I would pay more for a slower ride just to avoid having to pay a tip.

I will pay more to avoid having to talk to the driver. Last taxi I took, the driver started talking to me about all the different world religions.

Re: Waymo to test its autonomous driving technology in over 10 new cities

#105
post #64
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you think the trips are slower than a human? I've only taken one Waymo trip (and my wife two) but in each case it didn't feel any slower than a Lyft. But it felt a lot safer! They definitely drive better than any human Lyft driver I've ever had. And the prices seems to roughly match Uber/Lyft. Sometimes they're higher sometimes lower. The one ride I took I chose the more expensive Waymo just for the better exp…

I should first note that I'm a big fan of waymo and want autonomous to succeed generally. I take both waymo's and lyft/uber all the time in sf and waymo's are way slower. I'd estimate it at 10-15% slower. Once the novelty of a waymo wears off you realize that they drive like a high anxiety teenager and going 15 mph on a 15 mph road, coming to gentle full stop at every stop sign, and being very tentative on turns and…

I'd rather do that than fear for my life when an uber driver decides that the 65mph speed limit should be understood as 85mph. Waymo doesn't even get on the freeway.

Re: Waymo to test its autonomous driving technology in over 10 new cities

#106

"In addition to ongoing trips to Truckee, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Upstate New York and Tokyo, the expansion includes testing in San Diego and Las Vegas, with more cities yet to be announced." Pitching my own book here, but I think Jackson Hole would be a great place for Waymo. It's clearly delineated, has basically no freeway driving, affluent residents and a constant influx of tourists for brand building. The on…

calgary could be a good spot

theyd want to shut off on the odd snow day that makes lines invisible, but its a lot like phoenix on having big wide roads, and the places to consistently play with snow cover are pretty empty/safe to screw up in

Re: Waymo to test its autonomous driving technology in over 10 new cities

#108

You bring that crap to nyc and we’re making a special new waymo congestion price

I can’t wait until this hits NYC and the subway is forced to compete on all 3 of price, comfort, convenience

The subway already wins the competition with uber and drivers. 1 million drivers per day and 2 million riders per day. The subway is king . I love it so much.

Re: Waymo to test its autonomous driving technology in over 10 new cities

#109
post #79

You bring that crap to nyc and we’re making a special new waymo congestion price

So you prefer human taxi drivers?

I prefer streets that don’t have traffic so pedestrians can walk freely, and watching these waymo cars trap themselves and cause 30 minute long traffic jams because their code accidentally put them in a holding pattern is a genuine nightmare

Re: Waymo to test its autonomous driving technology in over 10 new cities

#110
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I should first note that I'm a big fan of waymo and want autonomous to succeed generally. I take both waymo's and lyft/uber all the time in sf and waymo's are way slower. I'd estimate it at 10-15% slower. Once the novelty of a waymo wears off you realize that they drive like a high anxiety teenager and going 15 mph on a 15 mph road, coming to gentle full stop at every stop sign, and being very tentative on turns and…

The sad truth about Waymo is that they have to aim for a 0 (or extremely close to 0) accident rate for PR/regulatory reasons, especially so for accidents caused by Waymo, and that's always going to heavily influence the way they drive. Uber drivers cause accidents sometimes, just like all drivers do. Whenever this happens, we generally blame the driver and not Uber. It's a completely unremarkable event that the media…

There is a simpler explanation: every Waymo vehicle is effectively the same. If one makes a mistake, every vehicle will likely keep making the same mistake over and over again, until it's fixed. If the mistake causes harm, there is often a clear causal link from a flaw in the system to the harm, which can be a pretty good incentive to fix it.

Human drivers are all different. They also learn from their mistakes and change unpredictably over time. Humans can get away with all kinds of unsafe behavior, because bad outcomes are unlikely in any particular situation. If something bad happens, it could easily be a one-off issue. And even with systemic issues, it's easier to change the environment / regulations / vehicles than the drivers.

Post reply on HN