Michael Smith

Transportation and disability advocate. Created and administer the site Robotaxi.rodeo . Co-founded Walk San Francisco (walkSF.org), Swiftly (goSwift.ly), and NextBus (NextBus.com). Working to make transportation accessible and safe for all. Been disabled by serious long COVID since 2022.

Joined: 12/17/2023
Articles: 56

$$$, News, Waymo

TechCrunch – Stellantis CEO says there’s still life in Waymo deal for self-driving delivery vans

Michael Smith
02/24/24

This article is only of interest because it shows how drastically robotaxi plans have changed over the last few years. Waymo purchased from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (now Stellantis) 100 minivans in 2016 and then another 500 in 2017. In January 2018 it was announced that Waymo was ordering "thousands" of minivans for a 2018 self-driving fleet rollout. In August 2018 it was announced that Stellantis was going to supply (up to) 62,000 minivans to Waymo/Google. But that is all just a distant memory.

$$$, Cruise, News, Politics

SF Giants remove jersey patch of their ill fated sponsor, Cruise

Michael Smith
02/15/24
Rev 02/28/24

The Giants can have a winning season again. They finally got rid of the Cruise patches! Boy, that sure was cringeworthy.

News, Safety

Finally, Simple AV Tech Will Make Our Streets Much Safer

Michael Smith
02/15/24

While robotaxi companies continue to make false claims about how they are all about safety, an actual solution moves forward. California Senate Bill 961 by Senator Scott Wiener would require Intelligent Speed Assist in new California vehicles in 2027. This is a proven, equitable, and workable solution.

News, Waymo

And now it is Waymo’s turn

Michael Smith
02/13/24
Rev 04/25/24

The recent torching of a Waymo robotaxi shows that there simply is no smooth sailing for the company. Sure, they might drive somewhat better than Cruise vehicles. But they still have serious flaws that show that long term viability is doubtful. Plus they do stupid things, and when they do they are quite vulnerable. Therefore they have now become the target of robotaxi ire.

$$$, News, Tesla

Tesla: Disastrous management, $56B goes Poof, and a Heavy Metal Drummer Rocks On

Michael Smith
02/8/24
Rev 02/28/24

It has been in the news that Elon Musk's $56B pay package was recently voided, because of a lawsuit by some heavy metal drummer. This of course merits a full explanation of what the heck happened, and a viewing of a video of the $56B drummer in action. He is very worthy!

$$$, Crash, Cruise, Politics

Cruise Report by Quinn Emanuel Does not Provide Key Details to Regulators

Michael Smith
02/2/24
Rev 02/5/24

An analysis by Michael Smith on the Quinn Emanuel Report (QER) on the October 2nd, 2023 crash where a pedestrian was dragged and seriously injured. The report was commissioned by Cruise to determine what went wrong and how to address the problems, both technical and operational. But the QER failed to address the most important issues and is therefore not an indication that Cruise is moving forward with improving safety.