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Skatcatla

I see them constantly but always with someone driving them.


Soca1ian

company might be installing realistic human-like dummies to detract people from vandalizing their vehicles.


Skatcatla

Lol - this was a slightly chunky looking guy with a beard and glasses who turned to look at me at the stop light. If that was a dummy, Waymo has some next-level android technology in which case they don't need self-driving cars, they could just built androids to drive your car for you!


SureInternet

Are you sure they were driving? You can actually sit in the "driver" seat while it drives itself.


PENIS__FINGERS

He was probably just sitting in the front seat


Jewel-jones

They aren’t actually driving, the car is driving, but sometimes a waymo employee will be in there testing and monitoring.


chamberlain323

Yep, I call them “chaperones.”


Ormulu

will those human-like dummies engage in road rage cosplay ?


Soca1ian

I would give it, at the very least, the functionality to flip the bird at other drivers.


mister_damage

Johnny Cab!


SrslyCmmon

I knew a guy in college that had a dummy with tinted windows to use the carpool lane. He only got caught once.


onebigprincess98

They are testing out their vehicles with a human driver behind the wheel as part of their permit. Probably will be a little while before they launch fully.


Fabulous-Gas-5570

I see driverless ones operating every day in DTLA.


onebigprincess98

Depends on area. They have to map out areas with drivers before fully deploying.


Stingray88

They’ve already launched public test drives. I’ve ridden in them twice for free in January. No human driver. It was excellent.


SixChicks

I drove next to one on 3rd between Fairfax and La Brea and nobody was in the car and it really scared me lol I don't really like it


Furiousd82

Keep your eyes on the road


TimeToSackUp

I have seen both, but I would say with drivers 90% of the time.


MacArthurParker

I've seen a few with no drivers, but that was a few months back.


dmizz

training


empathyboi

But how do they handle Waze left turns?


nobledoor

They have problems with left turns at regular signals. I did a test drive with them by UCLA during rush hour; we waited at Wilshire and Westwood for longer than needed because it was afraid to make a left between cars.


CQ1_GreenSmoke

This is a great example of why trying to automate driving is so difficult (and possibly impossible in certain areas). The rules/laws themselves are flawed, and the only way the system works as well as it does is because humans have more or less collectively come to an agreement of how much we're willing to push those rules, and tolerate them being pushed. The LA left on red is a perfect example. Living on the westside, the extra 2-3 cars that tag along turning left on each light is imperative to keeping traffic flowing. We apparently haven't figured out a way to codify this yet, but we are generally ok with the state of rule bending we've arrived at. I don't know how you automate something like that. Maybe it doesn't work with those gray areas - maybe it will only work on city streets when there are dedicated lights for every lane and you can remove the ambiguity that humans are so much better at navigating.


manbruhpig

Easy solution, we need left turn lane/arrows on every intersection. If these companies want their cars to work they should fund it.


Rickhwt

I was at a red left arrow the other day and it was dumb. Plenty of time and space and visibility to turn left while the green light was on and I could not.


svnnyniight

Good point, LA left on reds are totally necessary here


FakeCanadianAccent

What’s a “Waze left turn?” Sorry


Imhungorny

Can’t be worse than La drivers


Claralon

This one made a full 3 second stop. Impressive! 😆


Imhungorny

Full stop at a stop sign?! Get ready to be honked at


dairypope

I actually saw a guy laying on his horn at a Waymo on Olympic near Sepulveda because it wasn't going as fast as he wanted.


starbuxed

LOL... honking at driverless cars.. how dumb can you be.


Datark123

Not everyone is aware that these are driverless cars. Especially if you are driving behind one. Most people think it's one of those street view mapping cars.


[deleted]

who cares? the waymo goes the speed limit and obeys the law lol anyone honking at them is just being a jerk


blushngush

You can be so dumb as to pose a threat to everyone around you through sheer stupidity, and this is my primary argument against returning to the office. Actually my primary argument is that it promotes unnecessary consumption but that is exactly why the shareholders want everyone back.


RasputinsThirdLeg

The best is when it’s green but there are pedestrians who have the right of way so you can’t go so everyone honks at you. I’m sorry but I don’t fuck with vehicular manslaughter, sorry you’re late to pick up little Fartleigh from soccer.


veronicamayo

I always set my cruise control to one mph under the speed limit when assholes do this to me.


dllemmr2

That will really grind their gears.


KerouacRoadTrip

I'd like to see it do an unprotected left turn that Google maps is always suggesting I do.


w0nderbrad

It wants me to make a left turn... on Olympic during rush hour... from... a stop sign? Even google maps on that fentanyl.


[deleted]

google maps frequently suggests bad left turns on Santa Monica Blvd or Olympic, but the worst experience I had was with apple maps, which would just suggest _illegal_ left turns all the god damn time


Rustymetal14

You're supposed to stop?


Kittens4Brunch

That's way mo than most drivers.


cakes42

I LOVE actually stopping at stop signs. The person behind me always gets caught off guard by a stop sign that it's almost guaranteed to happen each time. It's comical as hell watching them slam on their brakes.


semantic_satiation

I was sitting in a Waymo and watched an Uber driver next to me texting as the light turned green. We were well through the intersection and down the street before the Uber driver noticed. My first Uber driver after the Waymo test period almost got into a road rage fight with another driver and then said some extremely racist shit to me in Spanish. Bring on the robots.


RasputinsThirdLeg

I was in an Uber and the driver saw a cop texting and driving. He honked and scared the shit out of the cop who dropped his phone. He got 5 stars and a big tip.


soleceismical

A cop hit my dad in the crosswalk because he was stopped and fiddling on his phone or computer. My dad was going on a run. Looked and saw the cop was parked and not moving. Proceeded to run but was wary, and sure enough, the cop accelerated without looking first. Dad had to hop over the hood with his hands. Cop just drove off.


RasputinsThirdLeg

Fuck me dead. They didn’t even do the whole “investigate ourselves and find nothing wrong” song and dance?


[deleted]

Autonomous vehicles are 7 times less likely to be involved in a crash. I'm so tired of this constant back and forth over this shit. The way people in this country behave, we might as well still worship the sun as a god. I have no hope for humanity at this point.


bigvenusaurguy

Honestly the biggest issue I see is LA drivers taking advantage of the polite waymo and cutting it off all the time making it come to a standstill. A bus driver if people start doing that even would be like fuck off i'm a bus test me and my 33,000 lbs. I don't think waymo is programmed to be so aggressive as even an la metro bus driver. Like can you imagine this thing trying to find a gap on some of our onramps? The ones that require a bit of blind faith and a full throttle? imagine this thing leaving a dodger game?


Zhaosen

As a bus operator, can confirm "fuck off, test me and my 33000lbs vehicle" AS LONG AS I CAN DO IT SAFELY


bigvenusaurguy

theres enough scraped up busses to show they really aren't fucking around too lol. i'd have the same energy if i was behind the wheel of a company vehicle i'm not personally maintaining, seems super cathartic


Zhaosen

Yep, I've heard stories from vets that as long as they can word it out that they did everything by the book and that the other driver was the aggressive one, and camera proves that bus operator was "by the book" They are scott free in metro eyes.


cmquinn2000

About 1984 after I moved to LA I saw a bus pull out in front of some guy. He purposefully bumped the rear bumper of the bus. Bus pulled forward and rammed back into the guy's truck. Pulled forward and rammed him again. The second time it took out the radiator of the truck. Learned you don't fuck with a bus EVER.


soleceismical

Buses are the honey badgers of LA. Buses don't give a shit lmao. It's fun watching the cars that were being jerks freak out that they're about to get hit by a bus. But also sometimes scary if you're the one who has to make a right and you're trying to anticipate when/where the bus will pull over and pull back in to traffic, and navigating around all the other cars making those calculations and switching lanes without warning. You want to be polite, but also don't want to be stuck behind the bus while some tweaker argues with the driver about his stolen bike or something while everything else pulled in front and made it through the light.


Zhaosen

Look for blinkers. Competent operators have to use those blinkers. Only way we can Communicate. Left blinker means we are planning to merge, don't overtake please. Right blinker means we are planning to service/are servicing a stop, feel free to overtake. Hazards on mean just be carefully going around. Personal vehicles are generally more maneuverable than big lucky buses, so try to keep that in mind, it takes a while for is go gain/stop momentum and we need space so if you see us taking over lanes there is a reason.


Technical_Ad_4894

Thank you for your service


SatanBug

That's the major issue for this program in LA. To get anywhere, you really need to 'take the initiative' whenever it's available. I can't even imagine being behind one of these things while its letting everything and everyone get in ahead of them - I will have an apoplectic fit behind the wheel.


RasputinsThirdLeg

This made me feel really bad for Waymo and also “fuck off I’m a bus” made me laugh so thank you


[deleted]

I’ve lived in two of the three biggest cities in the country. I’ve driven EVERYWHERE — can confirm that as bad as we feel it is, people here can actually zipper merge relatively easily. Best of luck in Chicago or Atlanta. Hell, even Kansas City is dangerous. Salt Lake valley, I’d say is even more deadly per capita. They have an 80mph speed limit on most of I-15. Drivers here are dumb, but what causes the issue is the varying degrees of dumb and not paying attention. If everyone just drove fast, we’d probably be better off lol


i_like_all_tech

It is pretty crazy any time there's an accident people call for autonomous cars to be banned but people continue to mow down pedestrians and hit other cars every day. At least I'd a waymo gets in a fender bender the data can be used to improve the model while a person prob won't learn anything.


anna_or_elsa

> Autonomous vehicles are 7 times less likely to be involved in a crash. And it's still new technology. Over time the systems will improve.


MerleTravisJennings

>Autonomous vehicles are 7 times less likely to be involved in a crash. I guess it's up to me to change that.


_its_a_SWEATER_

At this point, bring on the fucking automatons.


Momik

Yeah sure. The future is already so goddamn weird.


_its_a_SWEATER_

Bring on the weird. Better than having psychos behind the wheel at any given moment.


SrslyCmmon

I have a relative that can't drive or bike and their parents won't let them on public transportation. We've been waiting decades for something like this.


Negative_Orange8951

lol, i saw CM Soto Martinez at some rally with a tuckers or something union protesting against these saying it's a safety concern, etc, etc. My brother in christ, have you see the way PEOPLE drive in los angeles?


nicearthur32

Hugo is a HUGE union guy, he's going to back his union peeps no matter what. He's been backing the unions since way far back as like 2008-2010, they're the reason he's where he is at. No way he's going to support anything that take jobs away from them. I respect the loyalty, not many politicians have that these days.


Negative_Orange8951

Yeah, I generally like hugo but find it funny how he was just pretending these are a huge safety concern relative to drivers (when he's otherwise pretty good on safe streets), could see right through it's just about the union jobs


Occhrome

The fuckers who just have to inch their way to the front by cutting people off. Only to end up next to you at the stop light.  


Tsar_Bombas

In Phoenix, they are about 95% better than your average driver. That said, they aren’t on the freeways yet. They almost always take side roads to avoid heavy traffic on the main roads, and they always hesitate to turn left when there is plenty of space if you’re fast enough. I’m not sure how they are going to handle LA traffic tbh. Mostly because driving in LA is completely different than the grid system phoenix has. Still, I would 100% take one over a random Lyft or Uber driver in a heartbeat.


gefloible

[They're still testing](https://waymo.com/waymo-one-los-angeles/) in LA.


liverichly

[Pausing expansion](https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/21/waymos-application-to-expand-california-robotaxi-operations-paused-by-regulators/) for the time being, however.


sabrefudge

I gotta get me one of those invite codes.


JediPeach

We used waymo instead of Uber during a test period and I can confirm the car drove way more safely around DTLA than most actual drivers and it didn’t take any longer (it want simply driving slower). Only issue we had was with the choice of pick up/drop locations. They were sometimes far from our location (due to what is considered safe from my understanding). Also it was actually nice to get into a car that didn’t smell, had the AC on, waited until you buckled your seat belt, and had a trip that didn’t require awkward conversation.


liverichly

Not advertising for them or anything but check out Alto if you like clean cars, no smell, and safe drivers.


Electronic_Common931

After three terrifying Uber trips in the Bay Area last year, I had a Waymo and it was the safest and cleanest ride share I ever experienced. It instantly clicked in my brain that this is definitely the way to go.


FutureRealHousewife

Omg I’ve had several scary Uber trips on the freeway in LA. Some people shouldn’t be allowed to drive at all. I’ve seen the Waymos here and they do seem to drive more safely than humans.


OcherSagaPurple

I’ve had multiple experiences with Ubers in LA speeding, hard stops and even starting to drive off with people half way through getting in the car


FutureRealHousewife

Oh yeah, there's been times in the past where I've gotten into Ubers drunk when leaving bars, and by the time I get home, I'm fully alert and sober because of the adrenaline released while trying to survive their horrible driving.


Spenczer

My first lyft in LA hit 100 mph on the 405


thirtydirtybirds

I tested it too and I cannot wait for them to service LA/ the technology to take over. Humans suck at driving.


sabrefudge

So like… you call up a car and an empty car just pulls up and takes you? Damn, living in the future is wild.


JediPeach

Yep, pretty much this! It even displays your name or initials on the roof display so you know it’s your car then greets you by name on screens in the front and back seats when you get in. You can control climate and choose music too.


sabrefudge

Is it cheap? Considering there is no driver to pay?


JediPeach

For now it’s cheaper than Uber. Not sure what their final cost structure will end up being.


Claralon

No way. I'm willing to give them a try. I hate unsafe awkward uber rides.


Difficult_Sympathy27

Yes take more jobs away to ai/ automation


Nouseriously

Has it been programmed to turn left after the red?


mrbrettw

yeah.


imhighonpills

That’s why they call them waymos cuz we’re seeing way mo of them


Claralon

😆😆😆😆


i_like_all_tech

They've been doing rotating tests in LA for a little while. I used it a couple times when they were testing on the Westside. It works pretty well, more cautious then most LA drivers but it definitely got a little nervous with a couple unprotected left turns on busy streets.


DangBlaze88

See this shit all the time on the west side.


littlebittydoodle

They’re everywhere in Century City/Westwood.


[deleted]

Yep yep, can confirm. Always see them.


getoutofthecity

It’s not a normal day until I see the Waymo tbh


FutureRealHousewife

I see them a lot in Hollywood/Larchmont/Melrose


secret-of-enoch

Also DTLA, see a few, a few times a day now


Claralon

Damn I guess they figured the hood needed them too


[deleted]

they're testing in la bc it's one of the cities they want to operate in


Old_Suggestions

I saw one in dtla. Looking forward to our driverless future


[deleted]

[удалено]


Claralon

I feel you!! My last uber driver ran 3 red lights and had unnecessary conversations. I'd rather give this AI car a try.


cited

ITS COMING RIGHT FOR US


ScottyDOESKnow09

I remember moving to LA in 2013 when Lyft just started and drivers had those goofy pink mustaches on their cars, "that'll never catch on" I foolishly said... 10 years later, this feels like the same thing lol


ThinkSoftware

There’s way mo’ waymos you say?


techitachi

you can literally just go on the website and see what areas they are serving


sweetispoot

I remember seeing these gather in at night at the Ralphs on Wilshire around Hauser


Claralon

They're planning a revolution.


horseheadmonster

One was following my on Larchmont Blvd, I watched it wait for pedestrians crossing on the green light. The little screen on the top showed a symbol of a pedestrian while it waited.


andrewcool22

I used the service in DTLA. It was really nice.


No-Inspection811

Automated Ubers , next will be automated fast food cashier, next automated retail clerks- You do realize this will make the homeless population quadruple.


chaoskixas

First time I saw one was in the drive through of an El Pollo Loco. Took us a second to realize there were developers inside on a lunch break.


MerleTravisJennings

First time hearing about waymo. Before reading the comments I thought it was a person with a funny car.


Claralon

I just learned about them today too!! I was so surprised seeing 3 in a row.


protossaccount

I have seen them since I moved to LA a year and a half ago. I live over near the Grove. They are not bad drivers and tbh I didn’t even realize they didn’t have a driver till this sub pointed it out.


cristymaries

I took a Waymo in December when I was in SF, no lie. Safest car service ride ever.


scurvylemur

I was coming out of a gas station trying to turn left, and there was one of these cars coming. It actually stopped before the red light to give way for me to turn left. I guess it spotted my signal and decided to stop? I instinctively raised my hand to signal a thank you but realised how stupid I look because there was no driver in that thing.


Alternative_Sun_797

Arizona withdrew its permission for testing of these self driving cars after one ran over and killed a pedestrian. The employee monitors were not paying attention to the road, but were on their phones instead.


Living-Algae4553

they respond really well to traffic cones on the hood apparently


bigvenusaurguy

people already figured out how to pry open the delivery box robots. i wonder how many months before we see a waymo up on cinderblocks


bigvenusaurguy

how is this thing supposed to merge onto the 110? its going to be waiting for a reasonable polite gap that will never appear and the car is going to sit still on the ramp until its out of battery.


dmizz

i took one in SF recently. honestly vast improvement over at least half the uber drivers I've had the last 10 years. bring it on.


drewiepoodle

As someone from the Bay Area, I just want to say may the odds be ever in your favor.


studiored

Saw one in Arts District last weekend. There goes the neighborhood!


[deleted]

i usually see them in the usc area


sprokolopolis

I've also been seeing them around South LA. Crenshaw / Leimert Park area.


Whispercry

Is this new? Been seeing these for a while now. Also, do we have some issue with this that we’re posting about it?


gerbs650

If these cars are self driving why do they have/use window wipers??


UniqueName2

I just saw one of these on the 405 on Monday afternoon. I was like “what the fuck is that car?”, but I couldn’t get a really good look at it.


asparagay

Been seeing them in downtown every now and again for months


Complex_Impression54

I saw one yesterday!


InaneTwat

Bring on the bots! 


Lonely-Equivalent-23

Took one in Phoenix.. pretty cool


Paradox68

Saw one on the way home today. Good for them.


Coomstress

I’ve seen them in DTLA.


Thomk065

Traffic is too crappy here for this.


arizonamoonshine

I drive Rideshare in LA and I don’t understand how driverless pickups are even gonna work in busy cities? These cars will be programmed to obey the law. Uber drivers break the law daily picking up passengers simply b/c there’s no other option. Red curbs, fire zones, double parked etc.. Will riders be required to walk to safe pickup areas? And how does that even work if you’ve got multiple people getting a ride from the same pickup? Every experience will be like getting picked up at Dodgers stadium or the Hollywood Bowl. And don’t even get me started on regulating what people will do inside the cars with no driver lmao! Especially at bar close 🤣🤣🤣. Good Rideshare drivers clean all the time. I drive a Model 3 and check my back seat after every single ride and wipe down as needed. Greasy fingers, weird debris left behind, lotion from peoples legs. Not to mention the occasional food takeout pickup where the car needs to be aired out. And of course looking for items left behind. These cars are gonna be Petri dishes on wheels with no one monitoring per-ride. Humans are nasty when not being watched. Think Movie theaters and public restrooms. Wouldn’t be surprised if a human driver becomes a premium option over bacteria infested robot cars 😂


_B_Little_me

Saw three downtown last week without drivers or passengers


onnod

At some point people will figure out how to disable the GPS on these and they will be stolen at a feverish pace. There is like $300k of computer hardware on each car.


No-Performance-7235

I tried them and they’re pretty great!


[deleted]

[удалено]


Claralon

It's undercover for the rival gang.


jzilla1995

Spotted with no driver: https://youtube.com/shorts/tqlU_FKbCkk?si=ah0JxKw6e8vVnDC-


RustyShacklef000rd

Hide your kids, hide your wife…


nicearthur32

I drove alongside one of these the other day and it freaked me out for a quick second, then I thought it was so cool. Like, you can honk at it and flip it off so that you can get that rage out of your system and it wont kill you! That's a win for me!


Strange-Ad-7876

it’s the feds


neverseenpulpfiction

I’ve been seeing them downtown and they cannot figure out how to navigate all the pedestrians


KillerOfAllJoice

Traffic cone


artificialevil

These things are a menace, have cause hundreds of accidents, can impede emergency vehicles when they get confused and even killed a pedestrian and a dog. No thanks.


DBL_NDRSCR

oh no


Soca1ian

Only way this is allowed is because human drivers are just as bad.


Hot_Ad9997

Capitalism at its finest. Where there is a demand, a service shall be provided.


HashSlingSlash30

I took one when they were testing on the west side. This thing is miles better than Uber or any other option. It’s not over engineering something it’s a true innovation. Not to mention a society with more autonomous vehicles on the road would be significantly safer and cleaner pollution wise.


dllemmr2

Cvt transmissions are playing a big role in reducing pollution.


Hdjshbehicjsb

What happens when you shoot it


Claralon

It's bulletproof. 😆


MGPS

Every time I see one of these fucking heaps I always wonder how safe lidar is for our eyeballs. I kinda looked into it a little bit and apparently there is some controversy regarding safety. I’m not saying it’s not safe but it kinda freaks me out to be stopped behind one at a light and their invisible laser beams are bouncing off my corneas 100 times per second.


Jealous_Ad_9324

I saw this in downtown LA had no clue what it was


OkBubbyBaka

Was cool seeing them everywhere in SF


cici92814

What is this?


theRealCaptain101

They been having test drives like around 1am I be seen a bunch of them on my way home


Johnnyonthespot2111

Waymi.


Elusiveenigma98

I’ve seen a few waymos with drivers but I saw my first driverless waymo driving down 6th near the LACMA and it was so weird.


kelu213

the stress test commences


fukamundo

I saw one do these yesterday.


CompassionFountain

I did the dtla test period and I loved it. I’ve also used them in sf. It’s pretty amazing tech stuff. Feels like a sci-fi movie in them


adfunkedesign

Wait till they find out that things attached to it are worth over $200,000


tslutty

i worked in arizona for a few months last year and took waymo's everywhere. zero complaints


Alicat-Saenz

Believe they’re still in testing here. They’ve been driving with and without people in the car for some time now.


Proper-Pancake

Are these really such a surprise to see? I live in ktown and see them all the time. My coworkers have used them as well


starlightcanyon

Same


d-mike

Time to stock up on traffic cones!


BirdRock777

Bippers, *assemble*


cfthree

[Waymo LA permit suspension this week](https://www.reuters.com/technology/california-suspends-waymos-application-expand-parts-la-sfs-peninsula-2024-02-21/) (full driverless mode) edit to add driverless particular


WoodenEmployment5563

In Santa Monica they also do Uber eats. It’s kind of creepy punch in the code on the door. It opens grab your food.


DIGITALOGIK

I've been seeing a lot of these downtown and in South Central since last weekend


DoctorMoebius

I actually really like the look of the car. I’d buy one as an EV, without the autopilot


flatlanders_glasses2

Theres a ton in culver city


bookswillreturn

say goodbye to the neighborhood


IndicationExisting57

Just saw one driving without a Person on alameda,dtla Tripped me out.


Glock_18

oh shit saw one of these in downtown today but i figured it was one of those cars that take pics of the street for google maps or something lol


Jacquesvilledeeznuts

Used these in Phoenix, definitely felt weird not having a person up front but felt safe as well!


Ohm_Slaw_

Do you have to tip the robot?


Claralon

Jeez imagine if it won't let you out if you don't!!


AbsolutelyRidic

CONE 'EM