What it's like to ride

Axios Miami's Martin Vassolo tested one of the company's self-driving cars earlier this year in Little Havana.

His experience: The Waymo team set him up on a preplanned ride starting near Macondo Coffee Roasters on Calle Ocho and ending up at Coral Gate Park, taking about 30 minutes round-trip.

His review: It was a smooth and surprisingly human-like ride.

• He sat in the back seat as the electric Jaguar SUV (Waymo's standard car for Miami) navigated around intersections, pedestrians and stopped vehicles.
• What most surprised him — other than the sight of a steering wheel moving on its own — was how the car's AI brain reacted to obstacles in the road with assertive fluidity.

At another tricky intersection — one without a traffic light — the Waymo slowly eased forward to check for cars before taking a left turn across four lanes of traffic.

✅ Do's:

• Tap the tablet: The in-car screen allows passengers to control music, climate and ride functions.
• Wear your seatbelt. It's the right call in every ride ... but the Waymo won't start moving until you do buckle up.
• Try out the back right seat. You get a good view of the steering wheel spinning to make turns (if that sight doesn't freak you out).

❌ Don'ts

• Don't sit in the driver's seat. Feel free to sit shotgun, however.

• Don't touch the steering wheel or other driving controls. "Somebody from rider support will get on and say, 'Please don't do that,'" Waymo's Ethan Teicher told Axios.
• Don't smoke or vape in the car. You wouldn't do that with a human behind the wheel, would you?
• Don't expect the vehicle to speed. The vehicle follows the rules of the road and does not mimic other drivers' behaviors.