Drivers mixed about Waymo launching driverless taxis in North Texas next year
Waymo plans to launch a driverless taxi service in North Texas next year.
The autonomous vehicle company, owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet, is currently operating in several other major U.S. cities. The robotaxis currently provide more than 250,000 paid trips per week in the cities where they operate.
Still, Dallas driver Devin Downey, who owns a Tesla, says he's a little nervous about this, especially after testing out his own car's self-driving feature.
"I thought it was really scary," he said. "My son loved it. He thought it was really cool, but for me it just felt like the car was somewhat out of control, making decisions I wouldn't have necessarily made as a driver."
"Whenever a new technology is released, everyone is going to feel scared," Dallas driver Juan Cifuentes said. "That's socially acceptable to be a little scared, but with time it will be ok."
When Waymo launches in Dallas, you'll be able to book a ride through their app. The company is partnering with Avis to manage its fleet and maintenance.
Waymo says there's an opportunity to support the City of Dallas' "Vision Zero" goals, aimed at eliminating all traffic-related deaths and reducing severe injury crashes by 50% by 2030.
In a statement, Dallas City Manager Kimberly Tolbert said, "The Waymo and Avis partnership will offer an innovative, technology-based transportation option for our residents and visitors."
University of San Francisco Professor William Riggs has been researching self-driving cars since 2015 and says the technology is evolving to drive more like humans.
"They can actually make judgements that actually improve safety, and they can potentially do things that normal human drivers do based on instinct," he said.
"It looks pretty advanced and looks really secure," Dallas driver Erik Pulido said. "I've also seen some funny videos of different Waymos in line just beeping in the middle of the night and stuff like that, but I'm sure they'll keep getting better."
When the robotaxis roll out next year, he's open to giving one a try.
