KQED – Waymo, Uber, Lyft to Expand on SF’s Market Street, Despite Pushback From Transit Groups
KQED reports that San Francisco is planning on letting all commercial vehicles on "car-free" Market Street based on completely flawed testing.
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 MoreKQED – Waymo, Uber, Lyft to Expand on SF’s Market Street, Despite Pushback From Transit Groups
CBS Austin – Waymo vehicles caught illegally passing AISD school buses 19 times since August 1
CBS Austin reports video evidence of Waymo vehicles illegally passing school buses 19 times. Further evidence that Waymo vehicles simply are not designed to follow traffic safety laws.
NBC News – Driverless Waymo vehicle goes through tense police stop in L.A.
NBC News reports on how a Waymo vehicle blithely drove into a police situation where the police had their guns drawn. It is clear that Waymos cannot handle unusual situations, especially when first responders are involved.
NYT Opinion – The Data on Self-Driving Cars Is Clear. We Have to Change Course.
While the title is correct, we do need to change course, the opinion piece is just another tech fantasy. The truth is that the data show that the solution for safety is clearly better designed streets and better safety policies. Simply look at Europe to see how safety can be greatly improved through street design, not robotaxis.
Mission Local – Waymo hits dog in S.F. weeks after killing Mission bodega cat
Waymo involved in yet another crash, this one killing a dog. The vehicles are clearly not the answer when it comes to improving safety.
The Driverless Digest – What CPUC Data Reveals About Waymo’s Deadheading and Utilization
The Driverless Digest reports on that based on CPUC data that Waymo vehicles are empty (deadheading) for almost half of miles driven.
SF Chronicle – A Waymo robotaxi killed a beloved S.F. cat. Now a city supervisor wants driverless car reform
SF Chronicle reports on on Supervisor Jackie Fielder of San Francisco is trying to push for state legislation to allow local control of robotaxis. This was motivated by Waymo killing a beloved bodega cat.
KRON – Waymo pledges donation after beloved San Francisco corner store cat struck, killed
KRON reports that Waymo acknowledges that one of their robotaxis struck and killed a beloved cat. But hey, they promise to make a donation to an unrelated cause.
SF Standard – Waymo robotaxi kills ‘one-of-a-kind’ bodega cat, owner claims
SF Standard reports that a Waymo robotaxi ran over and killed a beloved bodega cat. Apparently this was to even the score after a Waymo killed a dog back in '23.
TechCrunch – Waymo co-CEO on robotaxi vandalism: ‘We’re not standing for it’
TechCrunch covers how Waymo wants to arrest people who vandalize Waymo vehicles. Meanwhile they kill pets with impunity.
Autonomous System Safety by Phil Koopman – Waymo Has Improved Their Safety Messaging
Phil Koopman, leading authority on AV safety, reports on how Waymo has finally backed off of their unsupported claim that their robotaxis reduce fatalities
KGW8 – Waymo driverless car caught illegally passing school bus
kGW8 reports that once again, Waymos simply do not follow laws. This time it passed a school bus that had its stop sign out and lights obviously flashing red.
SF Chronicle – Waymo driverless car stopped by Bay Area police during DUI operation
SF Chronicle reports that since a Waymo robotaxi made an illegal U-turn it was pulled over by the police. Unfortunately robotaxis cannot be given tickets currently.
SF Standard – We booked a ride in Tesla’s Robotaxi, then raced it against a Waymo. Guess which won?
SF Standard reports on doing a race between a Tesla and a Waymo. The Waymo of course won. But remarkably, this is proof that Tesla is actually running a TNC system in San Francisco without the needed TNC permit.
SF Chronicle – Waymo approved to operate robotaxis at its first major California airport. It’s not SFO
SF Chronicle reports that Waymo robotaxis will be serving San Jose airport
