Driverless car service rival to Uber and Lyft starts next month

[left-of-center2012]

The driverless car company’s not-yet-named ride-hailing service is expected to roll out in Phoenix and its surrounding suburbs, according to Bloomberg, which cited sources familiar with the matter. That’s where it has been operating a secretive testing program involving Chrysler Pacifica minivans equipped with its self-driving tech.

With the rollout, Waymo appears on track to beat rival Uber to the punch to deliver autonomous vehicle rides to customers.

The service’s fares will be in the same price range as Uber’s and Lyft’s. And though the cars will be self-driving, Waymo will keep drivers in the vehicles at first, should any of the cars get themselves into a tricky situation that the computer can’t handle.

“Waymo has been working on self-driving technology for nearly a decade, with safety at the core of everything we do,” a Waymo spokesperson told Bloomberg.

https://nypost.com/2018/11/13/waymo-plans-to-launch-self-driving-taxi-service-next-month/

[lapfog_1]

1. Driverless cars are not ready for primetime yet

so the first fatality of a pedestrian or passenger will very likely kill this offering.

Try again in about 5 years.

[USALiberal]

2. It will be soon. Human drivers kill 30,000 people year. Remember....

When planes started flying they crashed and killed people yet we kept trying to make them better.
Self driving cars are here to stay.

[lapfog_1]

3. they are going to be here

in a few years...
As for airplane autopilots... those are still backed up by pilot and copilot (for commercial flights) AND, critically, they don't do landings or takeoffs ( I'm sure they could, but they don't).

Driving a car is much like always landing the plane.. you have to deal with traffic and pedestrians and unexpected events.
Yes, the degrees of freedom is fewer (limited to planar activities instead of 3D) and the car is moving much slower.

And I agree that if everyone "operated" diver less cars... the annual death rate due to car accidents would drop.

But we don't make those sorts of decisions right now... as far as juries are concerned... death by automated equipment is going to find that the owner and manufacturer of said automated equipment is responsible... and liable.