Bradley Hansen
Audio By Carbonatix
The future has arrived in Denver…but is it here to stay? A new type of vehicle has emerged on Denver’s roads over the last month: a dozen white electric Jaguars equipped with cameras and sensors that enable the cars to drive without anyone behind the wheel.
They’re part of the latest expansion of Waymo, the world’s first autonomous ride-hailing service. The AI-powered vehicles are currently mapping the Mile High City (under the supervision of human employees in the driver’s seat), and are expected to be open to riders by early next year.
But as Hannah Metzger reports in her cover story, “Buckle Up: Is Waymo Ready for Denver’s Winter Roads and Angry Drivers?,” there are still plenty of outstanding questions about the robotaxi service. And in their comments on the Westword Facebook page, readers share other concerns. Says John:
Should be interesting when the snow is flying, the streets are slick, and all the fancy sensors on those Waymos are clogged with wet snow.
Wonders Thomas:
If they aren’t 75 percent cheaper than Uber, then what’s the point?
Responds Sam:
I would pay 30 percent more to not have an Uber driver annoy me at 2 a.m.
Adds Richard:
Let’s see: 1) no high/buzzed drivers 2) no taking weird routes (you can see the route being taken) 3) safer driving 3) no smelly cars 4) no cars filled with groceries so you have to carry your luggage on your lap 5) no objectionable music (you can choose) 6) always shows up 7) no turning down rides after accepting 8) cars cleaned daily 9) no road rage 10) if there’s an issue, another car is automatically sent 11) no tipping
Counters Seth:
Entrust a robot with my life? I don’t fucking think so! Would you check yourself into a hospital run entirely by robots that were programmed to care for humans? They don’t have any of the faults that humans have…
Replies Neil:
Pay drivers better and get less surly drivers. Autodrive is anti-employee tech.
And then there’s this from Scott:
I have mixed feelings about Waymo. I’m not one who usually wants to avoid human interaction, but the benefits of human interaction as described in the article (when it comes to rideshare and taxi drivers) just aren’t there. We’re already in a situation where it’s a race to the bottom, and taking the driver out completely is literally the bottom.
I often think about how I miss the old days of Uber and Lyft before they turned into such low-quality services. I remember asking for recommendations, chatting and joking with the drivers, and just generally enjoying my ride experience. Those days are long gone.
Now, I’m usually matched with someone who either isn’t capable of delivering a decent service experience…or doesn’t care to. Most of the drivers don’t know their way around and just follow navigation even when navigation isn’t quite right. It’s difficult for me to ask them to take a certain route because they don’t speak enough English to understand me. Their driving is slow and lackadaisical or abrupt and excited. Some of them have put on political talk radio during my ride, which is pretty crazy. Often the drivers are messing with multiple phones during the drive and many of them have been on the phone talking to somebody during the drive. Some of them have been out driving for 12 hours on that same day. One driver boasted to me a while back about how he drives 12 to 16 hours a day — and I would believe it, because his profile said he had like 40,000 rides. We almost crashed three times in a mile and a half because of his lack of attention and erratic behavior.
Obviously, the solution is to raise the standards much higher and raise the pay to match so that people don’t feel like they have to spend every waking moment driving a death machine around with someone else in it. Absent those changes, I welcome this system, and I welcome not having to feel like I have to give a steep tip at the end of the ride as well.
I tried Waymo in Phoenix a few months ago, and I’m sold. The car knew where to go, drove smoothly, didn’t take any chances, had no close calls or near misses, and didn’t lose focus. While I lament the loss of the human experience, I didn’t have to worry about any awkward chat or silence. This system is safer; we just need to make sure it is regulated with common sense to avoid the inevitable enshittification that comes once these services are common.
I look forward to seeing it operate in the snow. On dry pavement, it’s already a much better driver than most humans, and the issues with it that you see reported sensationally on the news are rare exceptions rather than the rule. In time, it will become a much better driver in the snow.
What do you think of Waymo? Would you take a driverless ride? Post a comment or share your thoughts at editorial@westword.com.
