What Waymo is like in Dallas
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It feels a little like the future when riding in a Waymo in Dallas and passing another robotaxi.
Why it matters: Hundreds of Waymos will eventually drive throughout Dallas without drivers behind the wheel, company officials say.
- Dallas is one of 10 U.S. cities to now have the robotaxi service.
The latest: We tried Waymo in a couple circumstances, including on a Sunday afternoon from Greenville to Bishop Arts and a Thursday night from northeast Dallas to Victory Park on the night of a Mavericks game.
- While on one of the trips, our friend said he felt less stressed as a passenger in the driverless car as compared to other options like Uber or Lyft.
- "I actually forgot that we're in a hurry," he said.
How it works: You order a ride through the app, like other rideshare services. Your initials appear on the top of the Waymo when it arrives.
- The vehicle can accommodate up to four riders, who can sit in the front passenger seat or in the back.
- Riders can control the temperature and comfort settings in the car from the app. They can choose music to play during the trip through YouTube or Spotify by linking their accounts with Waymo.
- Backseat riders can watch the route and surrounding cars and pedestrians on a screen.
Vibe check: The music helps personalize the experience, especially without having a chatty driver.
- It's a good option for going out with friends. You can chitchat without feeling limited by including a human driver.
Between the lines: Having a driverless option may help women feel more comfortable using a rideshare service.
The intrigue: The car maneuvered well through post-game traffic around the American Airlines Center and followed the instructions of a person directing traffic.
- The Waymo Driver technology has traveled more than 200 million fully autonomous driving miles to learn how to adapt to traffic conditions. The vehicles also have "gesture recognition capabilities" for people directing traffic, Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli tells Axios.
Yes, but: A video circulating on social media shows a Waymo vehicle stopped and completely blocking a street in front of an ambulance responding to yesterday's mass shooting in Austin.
- In our rides, Waymo mostly handled road obstructions, including cyclists, well. But it did get hung up on finding a spot to pull over to pick up or drop off on busy streets, like in Bishop and Greenville.
Behind the windows: With early service limited, other drivers and passengers are curious about Waymo.
- We felt a little like we were in an aquarium with pedestrians gawking at us during our trips.
What we're watching: When Waymo moves onto highways, which will happen at some point in Dallas.
- Highway service recently launched in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix.
The bottom line: The vehicle does move forward quickly after a light turns green, which feels a bit alarming in Dallas, where drivers typically know to wait a few seconds for the red-light-runners to pass.