441–450 of 561 posts
The dream of course is to replace singleton personal vehicle ownership, and to just rent a car as you need it. If it slick enough (not too much friction) I'd be willing to sign up
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've had a few similar cases, often teenagers on bikes coming dangerously close (e.g. forcing waymo to sudden break) and last one one bicyclist just blocking me for 5-10 minutes in SF (also just to be an asshole), with a street full of cars behind all blocked. I called the "connect to support" button and they could not anything. This is the only negative experience I had with Waymo; and I am hope something is done to…
You've got to be kidding. SF police and prosecutors barely do anything about real crimes, never mind blocking a road for a few minutes.
If you want to make Waymo into a SaaS and get people really using it, then it’s easy:
$100 per month - Unlimited rides
$200 per month - Unlimited priority rides
Build enough trust in that and people might even get rid of their cars.
But in my opinion the problem is the feeling of spending money. People want to avoid that feeling at all costs, or at least want to feel like they’re getting a good deal. Everyone else is just driving around for free so it’s gonna take a lot to feel like you’re getting a good deal paying for a Waymo.
People who take cabs are forced to take cabs. That market is pretty finite. What if you can tap the market of people who need to get places but would rather do other things in the back seat?
$30/mo is slightly mind boggling for this. I’ve enjoyed the ~70 or so Waymo rides I have taken but to me Waymo, Uber, and Lyft are methods of last resort. My feet, BART, and SFMuni are my primary methods of transportation and for $104/mo I can take an unlimited number of trips, usually very conveniently.
It seems to me a lot of people just really don't like to be associated with public transit or anything associated with anything remotely underclass. It's a class marker to be driven around in an autonomous 6000lbs tank rather than move your legs a bit.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Actually blocking a road in SF can get you a felony conspiracy count with this DA, especially if they don't like your message San Francisco’s Case Against Pro-Palestinian Activists Who Blocked Bridge Heads to Jury | KQED https://share.google/4RstsRSYbqY2lEdhn
They blocked the Golden Gate Bridge which included ambulances, other emergency vehicles and thousands of people trying to get to work. I'm happy that the DA is throwing the book at them, I hope they bankrupt themselves trying to defend themselves and then spend a lot of time in jail.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is a false alternative, because robocars do not exist, while public transit does exist but simply hasn’t been adequately implemented everywhere. Politicians (and grifters alike) like to point to a future technology to solve an existing problem only to delay existing solutions which they don’t want to implement, most often for political reasons.
Robocars most certainly exist. They’re probably about 5% of car traffic in San Francisco. I’ve not taken one yet (taxis/ubers/Waymos are mostly impractical with a young kid in the US as you must use a car seat unlike in most European countries) but as a pedestrian they seem mostly a safer than other drivers. As a driver I expect they will eventually induce gridlock but the city can always create more bus lanes.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are cars really the best option? Could other public transit serve the same purpose? (I was once legally blind, still not a fan of cars myself. Though I understand the appeal when externalities are out of the picture.)
Does the Subway arrive at my door?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You've got to be kidding. SF police and prosecutors barely do anything about real crimes, never mind blocking a road for a few minutes.
People will reply to you calling you crazy, but SF/bay is the only place I have ever experienced where many people will literally leave their cars unlocked because a broken window isn't worth the hassle. Yes, locking your parked car is a hazard here... and the reason is obvious.
If Waymo Premier includes an [EVASIVE MANEUVERS] button on the infotainment screen I'm in. I had a Uber driver block my Waymo at an intersection in SF some months ago just to be an asshole. Apparently some other people have been attacked and robbed while in a Waymo. Waymo should treat it like a security flaw that anyone can stop your car and there's nothing you can do about it.
As always, relevant xkcd: https://xkcd.com/1958/
Earlier quoted context omitted.
They blocked the Golden Gate Bridge which included ambulances, other emergency vehicles and thousands of people trying to get to work. I'm happy that the DA is throwing the book at them, I hope they bankrupt themselves trying to defend themselves and then spend a lot of time in jail.
[flagged]