Driverless cars are perhaps the most exciting thing to happen to transportation in recent memory. But the technology still has a long way to go. In early December 2018, Waymo (a Google subsidiary) officially launched Waymo One—a fleet of autonomous taxis—to mixed reviews. The news of the launch is also somewhat deceptive, as the vehicles aren’t completely autonomous. Each one has a human monitor sitting behind the wheel who can take over operations when needed.
The Waymo One Launch
The initial launch of Waymo One has been small and tentative. It’s available to only to a select group of people who served as early testers of the technology. The vehicles are limited to a geographical service area of about 100 square miles in Arizona. The service area includes the towns of Chandler, Mesa, Tempe, and Gilbert. Riders can hail the service 24 hours a day, seven days per week. Just like ridesharing services, riders are able to see price estimates for their trip before accepting the ride.
The Vehicles and Their Human Counterparts
The initial test run of Waymo One uses some of the 600 Chrysler Pacificas in Waymo’s nationwide fleet. The company didn’t specify exactly how many autonomous vehicles will be roaming the streets of Arizona because they were unsure of the demand level. Each autonomous vehicle will have a human safety driver behind the wheel, although the human driver only steps in if the car has trouble. In the event that the human monitor encounters a problem that he or she is unable to solve, there are remote support workers available 24/7 to provide assistance.
The Problems with Waymo One
Although early riders have largely been enthusiastic about the service, Waymo One is certainly not without technical hiccups. It seems the vehicles have trouble navigating in rainstorms. They also tend to “time out” when encountering a steady stream of pedestrians crossing in front of the vehicles.
While autonomous technology is an exciting glimpse at the future, it’s unlikely to completely replace professionally driven freight and fleet vehicles any time soon. For local and long-distance delivery services you can count on, turn to the highly trained team at Xcel Delivery Services. You can reach us in Phoenix at (602) 368-1300.
