Robo Taxis

[HitTheNailOnTheHead]

I remember the film Total Recall (set in the year 2084) featured Robo Taxis. Almost 60 years earlier than envisaged in that film, they're here!

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

A company called Waymo is operating robo-taxis in San Francisco.

Waymo killed KitKat. California neighborhood mourns a corner-store cat

One mourner called KitKat 'the best city bodega cat anyone could ever ask for. His lil pet requests meant a lot for some of us.'

www.latimes.com

 

[HitTheNailOnTheHead]

A company called Waymo is operating robo-taxis in San Francisco.

Waymo killed KitKat. California neighborhood mourns a corner-store cat

One mourner called KitKat 'the best city bodega cat anyone could ever ask for. His lil pet requests meant a lot for some of us.'

www.latimes.com

Looks like they have us in their sights now!

Google accelerates Waymo robotaxi Sydney launch plans

The Alphabet-owned software company met with the NSW government earlier this month but is still yet to lodge a formal application to launch driverless testing.

www.afr.com

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

Waymo with a few bugs in the system to still work out, but its driverless cab was at least able to slow down enough to keep from killing a child in this incident;

School Shock: Waymo Robotaxi Hits Child Near Santa Monica Elementary, NHTSA Launches Probe Into Driverless Dilemma

A Waymo autonomous car hit a child near a school in Santa Monica, causing minor injuries; NHTSA investigates the incident and Waymo's safety measures.

hoodline.com

January 29, 2026

In a recent incident raising concerns about the safety of autonomous vehicles, a Waymo driverless car struck a child near a Santa Monica elementary school. The event, which happened on January 23, occurred during the bustling morning school drop-off period, a chaotic scene marked by other students, crossing guards, and numerous double-parked cars.

According to KTLA, the vehicle was in motion towards the school when the child emerged from behind an SUV and was hit. Waymo's internal report claims the vehicle significantly decreased its speed from 17 mph to under 6 mph before the collision. As Waymo stated on their blog, "The Waymo Driver braked hard, reducing speed from approximately 17 mph to under 6 mph before contact was made." The company emphasized that its technology managed to mitigate the impact, potentially saving the child from more severe injuries. However, the incident has prompted the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) to examine Waymo's safety measures and post-accident protocols, given the AV's operation in an environment dense with young pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.

The NHTSA has opened a preliminary evaluation, as revealed in their own document described by CNBC and available on the NHTSA website, to scrutinize whether the Waymo vehicle exercised the necessary precautions, especially as it operated without a human safety supervisor...

I still don't know if I trust the tech without a human in the loop yet.

 

[HitTheNailOnTheHead]

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

Wow. San Francisco (and elsewhere) is seeing all sorts of shit. This was happening two years ago;

A Crowd Attacked a Self-Driving Car and Set It on Fire. It's Unlikely to Be the Last Time.

The incident in San Francisco is the latest in a years-long trend of people lashing out at driverless vehicles as controversies pile up.

www.vice.com

February 12, 2024

...The presence of self-driving cars in the city has been controversial. Last week, a Waymo vehicle struck a cyclist, leading to minor injuries and sparking a regulatory review. Waymo, which is owned by Google parent company Alphabet, said that the person was “occluded” by another vehicle. Other self-driving car incidents in San Francisco have been more severe. In October, a woman who was hit by a human-driven car fell into the path of a Cruise driverless vehicle which dragged her 20 feet. Cruise initially omitted this in its description of the incident to California’s DMV, prompting the agency to suspend the company’s license.

Saturday’s outpouring of public rage and the shocking images that resulted are hardly surprising. There have been numerous incidents of people attacking self-driving cars in recent years as they become more visible and the incidents where people are harmed stack up. In 2018, police in Arizona recorded 21 incidents where people attacked Waymo self-driving cars, including by slashing their tires. In 2022, also in Arizona, an angry pedestrian punctured the windshield, injuring the safety driver...

 

[revo333]

Saw some of these while I was in Los Angeles last September.

Didn't have the confidence to use the app and book one but it was very interesting to watch them work especially when no one at all was in them.

 

[HitTheNailOnTheHead]

Waymo with a few bugs in the system to still work out, but its driverless cab was at least able to slow down enough to keep from killing a child in this incident;


I still don't know if I trust the tech without a human in the loop yet.

Looks like you were right to be cautious.