Waymo in Portland • Hacker News Board

Re: Waymo in Portland

#111

Post by chucksmash » Tue, Apr 28, 2026, 7:32 PM UTC

Silamoth wrote: post #62

boc wrote: post #4

I've determined that my ultimate dream car would be something like a Rivian but with Waymo tech, so I can drive it manually when I want/need (snowstorms, off-road), but I can also let it drive me across the country at night while I camp in the back. Would absolutely change the way we move across the US, especially if you have hobbies that involve a lot of gear and equipment.

At least 80% of what you’re describing would be satisfied by trains and buses. It’s wild that Americans are so obsessed with self-driving cars while ignoring public transit that solves most of the problems. It’s reliable, more efficient, better for the environment, and less stressful for you. I’m not saying cars shouldn’t ever exist. The ‘last mile problem’ is a thing, and proper self-driving cars could be good for p…

It would also be satisfied by magic flying carpets. Between flying carpets, functional public transport, and self-driving cars, only one of these three things is not utter fantasy in the near-ish future in the United States.

Re: Waymo in Portland

#112

Post by kvvmn » Tue, Apr 28, 2026, 7:33 PM UTC

conductr wrote: post #66

walrus01 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Definitely a big concern, but given the number of times in my lifespan that I've seen pictures or video of human-driven vehicles that have got stuck on railroad crossings (or just straight up drunk people trying to drive linearly down a railroad track)... I would be curious to compare stats of 100,000 hours of human drivers getting stuck on grade crossings or doing something dumb, such as trying to drive around cross…

> The problem is that multiple red lights were blinking in view of the waymos not in sequence with each other, so the waymos interpreted it as a alternating-blinking red railroad signal crossing, and all of them refused to proceed, even when it was their "turn" in a 4-way-stop arrangement. What's the hot fix for this? Are they just stuck until a tech can physically go out and reset and move them? Or can someone in a…

This is the right way to look at it. For autonomous fleets, there are typically tiers of intervention, starting with a simple remote check - "can I drive through this?" type confirmation, to much more detailed remote instructions that are slower to give, to getting someone from operations out (or in an emergency first responders) to manually move the car. One reason why you might want to keep traditional controls in the vehicle for the near term.

It's a big operations challenge, and hope Waymo (and everyone else TBH) get it smoother and smoother.

Re: Waymo in Portland

#113

Post by catlover76 » Tue, Apr 28, 2026, 7:33 PM UTC

JeremyNT wrote: post #108

Silamoth wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least 80% of what you’re describing would be satisfied by trains and buses. It’s wild that Americans are so obsessed with self-driving cars while ignoring public transit that solves most of the problems. It’s reliable, more efficient, better for the environment, and less stressful for you. I’m not saying cars shouldn’t ever exist. The ‘last mile problem’ is a thing, and proper self-driving cars could be good for p…

> At least 80% of what you’re describing would be satisfied by trains and buses. It’s wild that Americans are so obsessed with self-driving cars while ignoring public transit that solves most of the problems. It’s reliable, more efficient, better for the environment, and less stressful for you. As an American, it's far easier to imagine autonomous robot driven road trips than it is to imagine a government that is com…

Why? Isn't Amtrak that, but just geographically-scoped? Isn't Caltrain workable? Subways also function fine in NYC, DC, Boston, and even LA

(to be clear, I don't think the other poster is correct that having trains would satisfy the desire of the guy who wants a self-driving Rivian. I consider his want/need there to be fundamentally different)

Re: Waymo in Portland

#114

Post by RoddaWallPro » Tue, Apr 28, 2026, 7:34 PM UTC

darquomiahw wrote: post #69

Why would anyone take a Waymo when you can ride the Trimet MAX for $2.50?

I rode the MAX when living there for a few years. I vividly recall screaming drugged out homeless riders being a regular feature. The last time I rode, a year ago, there was someone in the throes of the fent-bends in my section, who smelled like he was dying (he well may have been).

These incidents haven't made me fear, because I am a relatively big and tall male, but they _definitely_ will for others. And even then, they aren't pleasant.

You simply don't run into those things often on trains/subways in Europe (I lived in Spain for a year and traveled extensively in Europe during that time, and on other europe trips prior). So fix those issues, and then I am sure people will want to ride the rails.

Re: Waymo in Portland

#115

Post by davnicwil » Tue, Apr 28, 2026, 7:35 PM UTC

svnt wrote: post #96

davnicwil wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I appreciate what you're saying and am a big fan of long distance train and bus journeys myself and have done a lot of both, sleeping and not. But one huge factor that you have to contend with is the randomness of the tragedy of the commons problem on public transport / shared transport. A train journey can be blissful to sleep on right until a loud group gets on and sits across from you and there's no seats availabl…

It is a chicken and egg problem. As long as the majority of people who would maintain the social environment are avoiding the social environment, the healthy consensus/operating regime can never emerge.

In my experience the majority consensus is to maintain a quiet, generally polite environment on trains and buses.

But that's precisely the problem, it only takes a very tiny minority to change this. If one group, one person sometimes, in a carriage of 50 people decides to go against this, then that's that. It's not even particularly common, but it happens, it's random, and so it's just something that must be contended with.

Re: Waymo in Portland

#116

Post by fhka » Tue, Apr 28, 2026, 7:36 PM UTC

Jblx2 wrote: post #88

darquomiahw wrote: post #69

Why would anyone take a Waymo when you can ride the Trimet MAX for $2.50?

Being slow and inconvenient would be the main reasons. Less exposure to communicable diseases and other unpleasantness are secondary reasons.

How would you know what diseases the previous passenger had?

Re: Waymo in Portland

#117

Post by jeffbee » Tue, Apr 28, 2026, 7:36 PM UTC

financetechbro wrote: post #106

jeffbee wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every town says the exact same thing when Waymo shows up, and it's never true. There's nothing unique about Portland drivers, streets, sidewalks, or pedestrians.

This is a false blanket statement. Portland has very short (walkable) blocks, many one way streets, and it is true that most often than not cars actively stop for pedestrians to cross the street

None of those things are unique to Portland. Waymo already operates in San Francisco, Boston, and Philadelphia.

Re: Waymo in Portland

#118

Post by Karrot_Kream » Tue, Apr 28, 2026, 7:36 PM UTC

Silamoth wrote: post #62

boc wrote: post #4

I've determined that my ultimate dream car would be something like a Rivian but with Waymo tech, so I can drive it manually when I want/need (snowstorms, off-road), but I can also let it drive me across the country at night while I camp in the back. Would absolutely change the way we move across the US, especially if you have hobbies that involve a lot of gear and equipment.

At least 80% of what you’re describing would be satisfied by trains and buses. It’s wild that Americans are so obsessed with self-driving cars while ignoring public transit that solves most of the problems. It’s reliable, more efficient, better for the environment, and less stressful for you. I’m not saying cars shouldn’t ever exist. The ‘last mile problem’ is a thing, and proper self-driving cars could be good for p…

Connecting two Waymo geos with a train would be an interesting company idea. You could lease freight track the way Amtrak already does it in the American West but try to negotiate a contact more favorable than Amtrak's. You could try to work with Waymo to work on bundles.

Amtrak could do the same thing but because of how Amtrak is organized in not sure that it would be possible. Most of the current Waymo geos are not connected by Amtrak directly and require transfers.

Re: Waymo in Portland

#119

Post by Cider9986 » Tue, Apr 28, 2026, 7:37 PM UTC

Thank goodness that Waymo has no plans to use the cameras recording you in the car for targeted ads.

I will feel so secure and private being recorded at all angles in a car I don't own and can't sue.

"Waymo: ‘no plans’ to use in-car camera data for targeted ads"

(https://www.theverge.com/news/644770/waymo-interior-camera-a...)

Re: Waymo in Portland

#120

Post by some_random » Tue, Apr 28, 2026, 7:37 PM UTC

Silamoth wrote: post #62

boc wrote: post #4

I've determined that my ultimate dream car would be something like a Rivian but with Waymo tech, so I can drive it manually when I want/need (snowstorms, off-road), but I can also let it drive me across the country at night while I camp in the back. Would absolutely change the way we move across the US, especially if you have hobbies that involve a lot of gear and equipment.

At least 80% of what you’re describing would be satisfied by trains and buses. It’s wild that Americans are so obsessed with self-driving cars while ignoring public transit that solves most of the problems. It’s reliable, more efficient, better for the environment, and less stressful for you. I’m not saying cars shouldn’t ever exist. The ‘last mile problem’ is a thing, and proper self-driving cars could be good for p…

It's a train or bus that is exclusively yours, goes exactly where you want it to go, when you want to go. Sounds objectively better than a train to me.