Even as self-driving cars become more common in San Francisco, people still tend to stop and stare. But soon, spotting something at an intersection where no one is behind the wheel could become a more regular occurrence outside the city limits.
Rick Gepilano is always looking for the best means of transport. He rides the bus, uses an e-scooter and even uses a taxi service when the weather gets bad. Whatever makes things easier for you is crucial if you commute to work every day.
“I have two jobs and can rest in between,” Gepilano says.
With Waymo expanding to the Peninsula for the first time, Rick thinks it could become part of his regular commute to San Bruno if the fare makes economic sense.
Waymo is expanding its operations at a crucial time to determine who will own the robot taxi world.
“The future is driverless. We all know that. It’s just a matter of when,” said Ahmed Banafa, an engineering professor at San Jose State.
But things aren’t going full speed ahead for Waymo yet, as lawmakers, unions and first responders have raised several concerns, including road safety.
San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa opposes Waymo’s expansion. He wants more data and transparency regarding any safety issues, near misses and more.
“We have to put up guardrails. That means Waymo has to communicate with police chiefs and fire chiefs. They have to communicate with the public works department,” Canepa said.
Waymo sent us this statement in response: “While we have ambitious plans, expanding our service across the entire peninsula will take some time as we prioritize a careful and gradual rollout. As always, we will take a step-by-step approach to expansion , according to our safety framework and continue to work closely with city officials, local communities, first responders and our partners to ensure we provide a service that is safe, accessible and valuable to passengers.”
“It’s a very tight rope they have to walk on to gain trust and market share before Tesla comes into play and Cruise comes back,” Banafa said.
Part of the conundrum for Gepilano is that what could one day make his commute easier and cheaper could also come at a cost.
“I see Uber and Lyft drivers losing their jobs because there are automated cars driving around,” Gepilano said.
Waymo’s expansion into the Bay Area beyond San Francisco will begin with seven cities on the Peninsula up to Sunnyvale.
“Once you gain this trust, people get used to it and are not afraid to see it on their roads, then the human driver disappears. Then they are truly self-driving cars,” Banafa said.
The company has been given the green light by state regulators to expand beyond that to 22 cities, including the South Bay.
Meanwhile, lawmakers are working on Senate Bill 915, which would give local governments the power over state regulators to authorize and regulate autonomous vehicles.
The Peninsula pilot program will initially only be available to Waymo employees, who can order trips anywhere from San Francisco to the San Mateo-Burlingame border.
