People are eager to pay money to not deal with other people. Which makes me pessimistic about the future of humanity given recent developments in AI really
people love other people; but transactions bring out the worst in people
Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway
201–210 of 916 posts
Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway
#202I mix and match but I’ll take a Waymo if it’s 1. Literally zero variance. Every car is the same. Every driver is the same style. If it says it’ll be there in 7 minutes it will be 7, not 5 and not 10.
2. A jaguar SUV is a premium vehicle. It’s comparable to an Uber black not a regular Uber.
3. It’s so child friendly. My son can make all the noise he wants and I can take time loading him in without a driver being impatient.
4. They’re very clean. I’ve never been in a dirty or bad smelling Waymo. That’s very nice.
5. No aggressive driving. I’ve had Ubers that scare me weaving between lanes above the speed limit. A Waymo is always smooth.
Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway
#203Simply not playing Uber’s bait-and-switch game (happened again just yesterday: A purported $40 ride ended up being $80 due to being “unexpectedly 3x the planned distance”) would get them my business immediately once they become available in NYC for the very few times I do take a car. Not marking up rides when there’s a gift balance on the account would also be a great distinguishing feature.
I managed to get a Waymo after a big event at Intuit Dome. It found a reasonable place to pick me up a couple blocks away. I didn’t have to try calling the driver to get them to figure out where I should go to try and get around roadblocks and traffic (I had no idea about the area). It didn’t cancel on me. It didn’t hit me with a surge price. So I don’t even buy the central premise by the article that Waymo is guaranteed to be more expensive.
And I didnt have to worry about a Waymo being unavailable late in the evening, or canceling my ride because it didn’t want to go that far at night. It just worked. Why would I ever take anything else?
Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway
#204People are eager to pay money to not deal with other people. Which makes me pessimistic about the future of humanity given recent developments in AI really
> People are eager to pay money to not deal with other people I wonder if it's cultural. For instance I always hear how Japan has a lot of vending machines and am wondering if it's just pure tech advancement and efficiency at work, maybe lack of space to open a proper kiosk with a seller, or there is a cultural element of not wanting to "inconvenience" others having to interact with them.
Japan does have a lot of vending machines. Maybe less vandalism in Japanese cities?
But they also have a lot of staffed convenience stores (typically 7-Eleven) that are generally better than the random chain convenience store in the US (often in a gas station).
Don't know the history.
Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway
#205Earlier quoted context omitted.
All this would do is cause noise pollution. Have you never had the displeasure of riding with someone who will leave their seatbelt unplugged despite the annoying beeping?
You could easily avoid the "noise pollution" by driving safely.
How can I make other people drive safely? I'm obviously not worried about myself, but about hundreds of others constantly triggering it and causing noise pollution.
Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway
#206This phenomenon is interesting, and a bit surprising. I can kinda see it: while my experiences with Uber & Lyft over the past ~13 years has been overall very positive, there are quite a few minor-seeming-but-adds-up-to-annoying things that can happen with Uber/Lyft that just won't happen with Waymo: * Driver cancels and you have to wait for a new driver to accept. * Driver is really chatty and you aren't in the mood,…
I don't see how Waymo would be immune to the unpleasant smell issue. It might happen less frequently, but it'll definitely happen.
Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway
#207Replacing 100% of cars with self-driving taxis are definitely the future. In this context:
Corporate owned for-profit self-driving cars are the mark of a dystopian.
Publicly-owned or non-profit self-driving cars are the mark of a utopia.
Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway
#208As a Waymo-booster on HN for a while now, here's my latest anecdote. I tried to figure out how to take Waymo to LAX even though it's not actually in their territory yet just because I value the experience so much. I was borderline going to take it within walking distance (about half a mile), but got lazy at the last minute. I took Lyft instead, and, as if the universe cursed my laziness, I booked a "comfort" car for…
Why did you cancel on the Tesla Model Y?
Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway
#209I think my autonomavertigo would prevent me from ever taking a Waymo. Autonomavertigo (noun): The disorienting fear or anxiety experienced when surrendering control to autonomous systems, especially self-driving vehicles. Often accompanied by phantom brake-pumping and suspicious glances at the dashboard.
You're gonna have a bad time in the next few years haha.
Re: Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway
#210People are eager to pay money to not deal with other people. Which makes me pessimistic about the future of humanity given recent developments in AI really
> People are eager to pay money to not deal with other people I wonder if it's cultural. For instance I always hear how Japan has a lot of vending machines and am wondering if it's just pure tech advancement and efficiency at work, maybe lack of space to open a proper kiosk with a seller, or there is a cultural element of not wanting to "inconvenience" others having to interact with them.
One is low crime rate, vending machines even in major cities do not get vandalised or broken into. The other is Japan's massive focus on convenience.
I don't think lack of space is the issue. Combinis are everywhere but you'll still see vending machines in most parking lots and laundromats.
Tech advancement is also relevant. I believe Japan invented vending machines that serve hot and cold drinks simultaneously and they adjust with the seasons. They invented improved ways of loading the cans and spend a lot of effot on the design and art, there are even vending machine exclusive drinks etc.