Driverless Taxis Are Now A Thing And That Scares Me
I’m not going to lie, this news scares me a little. There is a company called Waymo, and they deal in fully automated, robo, driverless taxis.
Now, what kind of voodoo witchcraft is that? I mean, I know Tesla has the driverless car, but those are few and far between. Waymo is an actual taxi service, where people can hail the cab, and then get to their destination — hopefully in one piece.
Waymo, the self-driving vehicle technology unit of Google parent Alphabet, Inc (GOOGL.O), said it will start offering rides in minivans with no human attendant on board to current members of its Waymo One service in Phoenix. Within a few weeks, Waymo plans to open access to anyone who downloads its smartphone app and wants a ride within a 50-square mile area of Phoenix.
Reuters
So, Imma stay out of the Phoenix area for awhile, until they get this driverless vehicle situation tested, retested, road tested, and in a working fleet for more than five minutes.
Waymo says they will start off by offering rides in driverless cars, and then they will branch out to minivans within a few weeks — the minivans will be made by Fiat Chrysler.
I don’t know if this is the coolest thing I have ever heard, of if this is just an accident waiting to happen.
I mean, I guess they wouldn’t be sending them on the road if they weren’t safe, but what happens if a pedestrian were to walk out in front of the car??
I’m positive they took all that into consideration, but I still can’t help but be skeptical. I’m sure it will be fine, like it’s going to be the NEW thing that branches out across the country, but I’ll wait to see it before I believe it.
According to Reuters, there will still be SOME of the vehicles that have an “attendant” on board, but they are making the push for a fully automated fleet.
I have to know what y’all think. Is this a good idea? Is this a crazy idea? Do you even care? *Smiley Face Emoji*
