Londoners will soon share their streets with self-driving taxis, and a first ride in a Waymo robotaxi in San Francisco suggests the experience will be a mix of impressive urban driving and occasional logistical frustration. The Google-backed company, which began testing driverless cabs in 2017, now operates almost 4,000 vehicles across ten US cities and is preparing to launch its autonomous Jaguar I-Paces in the British capital.
The trial began with a hailing process familiar to any ride-hailing app user, but the comparison quickly diverged. The vehicle arrived within about 15 minutes, yet stopped on the wrong side of the road, half a city block from the requested pick-up point, while partly obstructing a live lane of traffic. A local driver parked nearby watched with amusement, asking whether the passenger was really getting into the vehicle. The robotaxi made no attempt to reach the hotel entrance, a location that existed on no map but would have been obvious to any human driver.
Once underway, however, the Waymo proved far more capable. The vehicle moved off smoothly on the cue of traffic lights, made assured progress with the flow of traffic, and safely executed a right turn on a red light, a manoeuvre that often confuses visiting drivers. It changed lanes judiciously, showed awareness of surrounding vehicles, and declined to move into their path. It also coped with narrow lane restrictions and unexpected moves from vehicles ahead, all without incident.
The drop-off was notably better than the pick-up. The Waymo selected a space about 50 yards short of the destination and let the passenger out directly onto the kerb without blocking anyone, as if making amends for its earlier awkwardness. The most striking aspect of the journey was the quality of the actual city driving, which the vehicle handled like a seasoned professional navigating a demanding urban environment.
The timing of this trial is significant. Uber and Wayve have just put their own self-driving cabs into service on London's streets, and Waymo's Jaguar I-Paces are due to begin plying for hire in the near future. The San Francisco experience suggests that while the technology has matured considerably since its early pilot days, the transition to London's complex road network will not be without its challenges.
For passengers, the lesson from this first taste is practical: be precise about where you ask the vehicle to collect you. A robotaxi may not infer the nuances of a hotel porte-cochère or a driveway that exists only in physical reality, not on a digital map. But once it is moving, the evidence from San Francisco suggests Londoners can expect a ride that is smooth, safe and surprisingly assured.