The study also highlighted that Waymo's robotaxis can only operate in specific cities where extensive mapping has been done and do not drive on highways. While the robotaxis drive conservatively, which could be seen as a safety feature, they have been involved in crashes. The study concluded that unless a customer enjoys the novelty of a robot-driven ride, it's hard to justify choosing Waymo over traditional ridesharing services at this time.
Key takeaways:
- A recent study by Forbes found that Waymo, a leader in the autonomous taxi industry, still falls behind human-driven ridesharing services in terms of cost and time efficiency.
- Over 50 rides, Waymo rides were found to be more expensive and took twice as long as services like Uber.
- Waymo's robotaxis can only operate in specific cities where extensive mapping has been done by the company's engineers, and they do not drive on highways.
- Despite the current limitations, the study does not rule out the potential for improvement in autonomous rides in the future.