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Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, SF and Phoenix

(techcrunch.com)
277 points nharada | 9 comments | 12 Nov 25 16:06 UTC | HN request time: 0.202s | source | bottom
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mmmlinux ◴[12 Nov 25 17:06 UTC] No.45902647[source]▶
I was in SF a few weekend ago and rode both Waymo and normal Lyft style taxi cars. the Waymo was a better experience in every single way. One of the Lyfts i was in drove on the shoulder for a while like it was a lane. The Waymos were just smooth consistent driving. No aggressive driving to get you dumped off so they can get to the next fair.
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1. nradov ◴[12 Nov 25 18:03 UTC] No.45903449[source]▶
Waymo cars are also more likely to be properly maintained. I've noticed that a lot of Uber / Lyft cars have some kind of warning light on the dashboard: check engine, low tire pressure, overdue for service.
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2. ang_cire ◴[12 Nov 25 19:01 UTC] No.45904475[source]▶
Waymo cars are new. Wait until their fleets are 10+ years old. They'll have all the same bad maintenance issues that airplanes, semis, rental cars, and any other company-owned vehicles have.
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3. nradov ◴[12 Nov 25 19:28 UTC] No.45905005[source]▶
Really? I fly a lot and Part 121 commercial airliners seem to be pretty well maintained.
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4. bluGill ◴[12 Nov 25 19:52 UTC] No.45905431[source]▶
I expect that Waymo will have standards. In theory Uber does as well, but since the drivers own their own cars they can't enforce them. A 15 year old car that has been well maintained is still safe to have on the road (within the limits of the safety systems on board), while a 6 year old car with a lot of miles that hasn't been maintained can be deadly.
5. SoftTalker ◴[12 Nov 25 20:07 UTC] No.45905701{3}[source]▶
Very few airliners depart in perfect working order. There is a "MEL" (minimum equipment list) that details which systems can be inop and still operate the flight.
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6. nradov ◴[12 Nov 25 20:43 UTC] No.45906360{4}[source]▶
None of that stuff really impacts safety. They're not leaving the gate with under inflated tires or expired engine oil.
7. tialaramex ◴[12 Nov 25 20:45 UTC] No.45906391{4}[source]▶
Sure, however that's why there's a minimum. The problem is that lots of GA aeroplanes aren't that well maintained.

People aren't on the whole suicidal, they're not going to go up in a plane they expect to kill them, but they absolutely will push their luck in privately owned planes and statistically that doesn't end well. Go see the figures for yourself, inadequate maintenance isn't first on the list for why GA crash rates are too high, but it's on there.

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8. SoftTalker ◴[12 Nov 25 21:22 UTC] No.45906913{5}[source]▶
"Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect."

Alfred Gilmer Lamplugh

9. dom96 ◴[12 Nov 25 23:31 UTC] No.45908426[source]▶
This seems to be a US thing. Every time I take an Uber/Lyft in the US the car that shows up more often than not has a cracked windshield. In the UK this just doesn't happen, maybe because we have stricter laws around what is safe to drive and a cracked windshield wouldn't pass an MOT.