TechCrunch – Waymo and Uber quietly part ways in Phoenix
TechCrunch reports that the marriage between Waymo and Uber was really just one of temporary convenience.
Robotaxi.news
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Robotaxi.news
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Waymo
Waymo is fortunate to have a better reputation than the rest, but their incident rate is still not acceptable…
Read MoreTechCrunch – Waymo and Uber quietly part ways in Phoenix
SF Chronicle – ‘Do better’: San Francisco is fed up with this Waymo behavior
SF Chronicle reports that Waymos aren't content to have seriously injured a bicyclist in San Francisco due to not following the traffic laws. Now they appear to park in bike lanes in a regular basis.
SF Standard – ‘It is insanity’: SF luxury condo owners fume over aggravating neighbors. (They’re Waymos)
SF Standard reports on yet more problems that Waymos are causing in San Francisco. Now they are clogging up residential parking garages as well.
StreetsBlog USA – Why, Robot: Driverless Taxis Spend As Much Time Without Passengers as Normal Taxis, Study Shows
StreetsBlog USA covers a report that confirms that Waymos spend half their time empty, as in "zero occupancy vehicles", as in the absolute worst from a congestion and energy point of view.
CNN – ‘Driving like teenagers’: Waymo robotaxis have run red lights and nearly hit pedestrians, CNN finds
CNN investigated the safety of Waymo robotaxis and found that while in some ways they drive more safely than humans, in other ways they introduce whole new safety problems.
SF Chronicle – Get-a-Waymo: How a burglar used a robotaxi to flee the scene in a first-of-its kind S.F. case
SF Chronicle reports that there is a new use case for robotaxis: burglary! No driver to identify the perpetrator. Truly brilliant!
NY Times – Blind Waymo Users Revel in the Joy of Riding Alone
NY Times writes an unfortunate article that perpetuates the Waymo marketing "crip-washing" that robotaxis are important for people who are visually impaired.
NY Times – Waymo Suspends Service in Six Cities After Cars Drove Into Flooded Roads
NY Times reports on how Waymo robotaxis do really dumb things when encountering flooded streets. They drive in and any passengers are then stuck!
SF Standard – Waymo suspends all freeway rides over safety issues
SF Standard reports that once again Waymo offers service and then has to rescind it because it wasn't at all safe. This time it turns out that Waymos have been suspended from all freeways and from any flooded roadways. Sure would have been nice if they knew of these problems before inflicting them onto the public.
Findings – Millions of Trips, “Waymo” Empty Miles: California’s First Thousand Days of Commercial Robotaxi Service
Findings provides a report on how half the Waymo miles are void of passengers, simply increasing congestion.
SF Chronicle – An S.F. doctor sued Waymo for allegedly flagging him as a terrorist. Here’s why he dropped the case
SF Chronicle reports on some serious problems with Waymo customer service.
San Francisco Chronicle – New poll shows what San Francisco residents really think about Waymo cars
SF Chronicle conducted a poll and found that only 42% consider the robotaxis to be a "good thing". Meanwhile, Brad Templeton does a really weird and inappropriate comparison to acceptance of elevators.
Express News – Waymo recalls robotaxis after vehicle swept away in San Antonio flood
The San Antonio Express News reports that Waymo vehicles were programmed to drive onto flooded roads. This poor decision caused one of the Waymo vehicles to wash downstream. Now Waymo is updating the software on all their 3,800 vehicles to avoid this really stupid idea.
Wired – Waymo Is Trying to Crack Down on Solo Kids in Driverless Cars
Wired reports that Waymo is finally trying to address the problem of violating the law by providing service to unaccomanied minors. Though they should have dealt with this months ago when they first clearly knew about this problem.
SF Gate – Illegal cars on Market Street surge after Mayor Lurie welcomes Waymo
SF Gate reports on how Mayor Lurie's bending of the laws and allowing Waymo vehicles on car-free Market Street has completely backfired. A year later Waymo is not providing service on Market Street because there are no adequate locations to drop off or pick up passengers. Instead, Market Street is now plagued by car drivers who wrongly think that all cars are now allowed on the "car-free" portion.
