Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Waymo is fortunate to have a better reputation than the rest, but their incident rate is still not acceptable…
SF Standard reports that while the San Francisco mayor has (falsely) decreed that ride hailing cars can go back onto Market Street, fortunately the ride-hailing companies are still avoiding it.
SF Examiner reports that Waymo has quietly tripled the number of vehicles in the San Francisco area, without disclosing the increases until now. No wonder traffic is getting worse and worse.
Gothamist reports that the opposition to NYC's Waymo pilot is quickly growing, especially amongst actual humans who drive taxis.
KRON 4 reports that Waymo is allegedly now picking up passengers on Market Street. Interestingly, they have zero examples of that actually happening.
SF Chronicle reports that the DA is charging multiple counts of vandalism for allegedly damaging multiple Waymo vehicles. It appears that one of the charges is for a "coning" that caused no damage.
Motortrend reports on the new Zeekr vehicles that have recently been spotted in San Francisco, though not yet able to provide passenger service.
Reuters reports that NHTSA has dropped their investigation of multiple Waymo incidences including collisions and traffic violations. No action was taken.
Jalopnik reports that Boston folks and their city officials do not want Waymo robotaxis without first understanding their impact on equity and employment.
Boston Globe reports that City Councilors are not happy with Waymo providing robotaxi service in Boston due to concerns about congestion, safety, and workers.
ABC 7 News reports that a Waymo took a passenger on a "shortcut" and they ended up stuck in the Waymo dungeon parking garage. Whoops!
NBC Bay Area reports on efforts to create a national law for significantly improving reporting requirements for autonomous vehicles.
electrek reports that after Tesla tried to get attention by extending their Austin service area into the shape of a phallus, Waymo simply put them in place by expanding their service area even further.
Futurism reports on the HSBC analysis on how robotaxi companies will have great difficulty making a profit.
Business Insider covers a report from HSBC that shows that the potential market for driverless taxis was "widely overestimated". Indeed, it isn't about the robotaxi technology (or the lack of it for Tesla). the problem is that the robotaxi companies are not going to be able to make a profit.
Matadors need to get their practice in, and Waymos are plentiful
