Portlanders appear split on riding in Waymos
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Photo illustration: Aïda Amer. Photo: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images
As Portland officials debate the Bureau of Transportations proposed rules for autonomous vehicles during a committee meeting Tuesday, we asked if you'd ever ride in one of the driverless cars — specifically, Waymo.
- Boy, did y'all have opinions.
The big picture: Some of you can't wait to hop in and ride with no one behind the wheel. Others say never in a million years.
- Waymo has been mapping streets with its human-operated autonomous vehicles locally for a few months. But it's still unclear when — or whether — Portlanders will be able to hail a ride.
Some Axios Portland readers have already used them in other cities and can't wait for their arrival.
✅ "We used the amazing Waymo extensively in LA. It only takes one ride to see how amazing the service is." — Howard S.
😁 "I'm excited about them coming to Portland. They are modern and easy to use." — Michele J.
🚀 "I had my first Waymo ride in Phoenix back in February of 2025. The safety issue seems a non-issue to me: their safety record is way better (sort of a pun) than us humans behind the wheel. Those of us accustomed to sitting facing forward with controls at our hands and feet will soon marvel that we ever did that at all." — Jerry M.
🤖 "I'd rather get in a car without a driver, then to feel unsafe by some of the drivers I have actually been in a ride share car with." — Susan C.
Yes, but: Some of you are concerned.
😬 "It is already terrifying to be a pedestrian in this city from drivers behaving like there aren't any pedestrians. Now I will have to try to see inside cars with dark windows to know if there's no one to even see me if they should decide to look." — Sandy P.
🤝 "Unlike many other cities, the Lyft, taxi and Uber drivers in PDX tend to be friendly and helpful and even help with luggage. I see no reason to use Waymo. They don't worry me in terms or safety. Just another defeat of human interaction." — John N.