Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Are the current robotaxis a boon or a bust for people with disabilities? And are people with disabilities once again being co-opted by others?
Streetsblog USA reports that Waymo has not complied with disability laws. They have not provided accessible options in Nevada even though clearly required by the law.
NY Times writes an unfortunate article that perpetuates the Waymo marketing "crip-washing" that robotaxis are important for people who are visually impaired.
SF Chronicle does Waymo's bidding by publishing a fluff piece promoted by Waymo marketing. it is very inappropriate for Waymo to co-opt people with disabilities to try to get good publicity.
Not Just Bikes posts an epic video on not just the problems of self driving cars, but how they would turn our cities into driving hell - unless we do something about it.
NBC Bay Area published an important three-part series on how Uber and Lyft have been discriminating against people who use service animals. This is a rare situation where Waymo actually is doing the right thing.
SF Examiner reports on how Waymo is using a charity as a cynical marketing ploy. They are using Waymo vehicles to deliver food for a charity. Of course to deliver food you need a human driver. If Waymo really wants to make a charitable contribution, they should simply donate money directly to the organization.
Wired reports that Waymo has not started curbside pickups and drop-offs at the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport in Arizona. And indeed, people who cannot lift their suitcases into the trunk will simply not be accommodated.
KRON4 reports that AWS is illegally putting robots on the sidewalks of Market Street in San Francisco. And they are solely for advertising, which is even more reprehensible.
Fascinating AI Addict video shows how Tesla FSD 12 is an utter failure and how Waymos have their own big problems.
The Cruise Origin was hyped as being the future of robotaxis, providing low-cost service to everyone, including to people with disabilities. But it turns out it was indeed just hype, and now is a cancelled project. This means more though then just warehousing a bunch of unpermitted vehicles. It means that Cruise has no way of ever succeeding as a business.
A coalition of San Francisco residents, safety advocates and workers is demanding Gov. Gavin Newsom immediately ban self-driving taxis, accusing the companies that operate them of endangering public safety. Waymo counters with statements from disability groups (to whom Waymo donated generously). Taxi drivers explain that people with disabilities often need a driver to help.
It is unfortunate that robotaxi companies have co-opted for their own benefit the needs of people with disabilities. Our actual needs are very diverse, making them often misunderstood. The best way to understand them is to first listen. Here is a sampling of some really interesting videos on what we…
Waymo appears to be trying to provide appropriate service for those with disabilities. They provide a genuine human driver and a true accessible vehicle. Service animals of course welcomed.
Article from SF Standard by Joshua Bote. Covers how Cruise and Waymo spent a great deal of effort and money to went over support from local groups, including disability groups. It worked, and the groups continue to support robotaxis even after the numerous problems they have caused.
Robotaxis won’t get us there, so let’s stop being used to sell a future that doesn’t serve us. This article is from Alice Wong’s DisabilityVisibilityProject.com where you can also find many other articles on disability issues.
