Waymo - Mountain View, California

R

Very impressive and cool tech. User friendly sign up process and app. They are very popular so despite seeing lots on the streets, it can take 5-15+ minutes to get yours at certain times and locations. The ride was fairly smooth and safe apart from minor hesitations here and there but given how chaotic the crowded up and down streets of San Francisco can be, it is impressive how far this tech already is. Clearly ready for prime time elsewhere too. Amazing

Seungho L.

Using Waymo was an incredible experience! The technology is amazing, and the ride was smooth and enjoyable. We used Waymo to travel from Fisherman's Wharf to Union Square, and it was convenient and efficient. I highly recommend trying Waymo if you get the chance!

A. W.

Figured we were in San Francisco so might as well finally try the driverless experience. Based on the rates, it's not a deal. You will not save money by taking a Waymo. However, it is simple and carefree. We had zero issues with our pickup locations or any technical issues and went round trip about 6 miles. Curious to see where this technology and ride howling services go.

Craig J.

Welcome to the future?! This is a unique experience and one that I am sure we are headed for in the next few decades. It does pretty well navigating through traffic, but is definitely learning. Sometimes you wait much longer than necessary. (We took Waymo twice.)

It isn’t really cheaper because it is the price I would pay with a tip. So if you are thinking you will save money, that is a negatory. :/

The other thing, this is so new, I had to ask one guy to move so I could get into the car itself. You know why? Because people swarm around it to take pictures. Videos, ok, but if you want to take a picture, go take one of an empty car… same effect. LOL. That being said, I do have a short video and a pic.

It instructs you on everything you need to do. The app will prompt you to unlock doors when the car is ready for you to use. We did this twice, and both cars were clean. It also plays mellow music that I think you can change at your leisure.

I am giving 4 out of 5 stars just because of the kinks that need to be worked out. The traffic stops or multi-cars seem to take much longer than they should.

Overall this was a fun little thing to do, albeit strange… but fun and unique. Makes one wonder what the future holds.

Molly B.

Had such a fun time riding in a Waymo from my hotel to the airport in Phoenix. It took a friend going first for me to get my courage up - usually living the risk averse life. We don’t have these back in the southeast. Cheaper than Uber. The car never went over 35mph. It was a bit spooky for sure but also I couldn’t stop smiling and I squealed a little! It didn’t pick me up right at the corner where I was standing. Possibly because I stood there taking a video instead of moving toward the car. 🤪 I would recommend this experience!

K. R.

I spent a week in SF recently, and being from the East Cost and an Alphabet investor, one of the things I wanted to experience and assess for myself was an autonomous robotaxi Waymo ride.

I used Waymo numerous times over a week, and I state with confidence that this is a better experience than using traditional ride share services. Not only is the entire Waymo fleet newer and standardized, so you're not riding in someone else's random jalopy. The vehicles are clean, neither the vehicle or the driver (since there isn't one) smell! The actual passenger experience is the same from Waymo to Waymo, because well, they're all the same and operate the same. I also felt safer with the Waymo than I did with a human driver in an traditional ride share vehicle.

All ride share drivers are different, including having very aggressive and careless drivers. But Waymo is autonomous, every single one operates the same. Unlike Marcelo the aggressive ride share driver, none of my Waymos held their horn down to irritate and intimidate pedestrians in a crosswalk, the Waymos just patiently waited for the crosswalk to clear.

Some of the other reviews will note that Waymos are more expensive. Once you consider a 20% tip for your ride share driver, which you don't have to do with Waymo, the pricing differential between the two services isn't too different. On one occasion taking a Waymo was substantially cheaper, on most occasions it was on par with ride share cost + ride share tip, and on a few occasions the Waymo was just much more expensive. It only takes a few seconds to check pricing for each company, but right now I'll take the Waymo experience and pay the slight premium for it as it is just a superior.

Waymo is just a better all around experience. I can't wait for autonomous driving to take over other segments of transportation, like public transportation. Autonomous vehicle tech would be a boon for small to medium cities trying to implement a flexible and cost effective public transportation option.

Alphabet please rapidly expand Waymo to more cities! Don't let your competition catch up and beat you.

Dr. R. M. M.

Wow! First time to use a driverless car... thrilled to travel through it in SFO streets. Very beautiful car. Enjoyed riding. 🤩🤗😇😍

Shakira W.

I had a great experience using Waymo. It was easy to book! They did drive slower than usual. I didn’t like how people just walked in front either because the WAYMO would jerk to a stop.