The recent expansion of the autonomous robotaxi service Waymo to new cities was met with support from ride-hail users but also from a few surprising groups.
Thousands of people signed up for rides as early as Tuesday, when the fully electric vehicles launched in San Diego, Denver and Tampa.
My colleague Caroline Petrow-Cohen documented the company’s victory in August, when the California Public Utilities Commission gave Waymo the green light to expand into Marin, Napa, Orange and Riverside counties, among other places.
The expansion battle was met with resistance from labor unions and safety advocates who decried Waymos “dragging down [of] labor standards” and glitches that blocked first responders during emergencies.
However, a contingent of pro-autonomous vehicle backers, many from a group of 29 organizations that advocated on behalf of Waymo to the CPUC, celebrated the expansion ruling.
Essential California spoke with some of these groups to see what drove their support.
‘A life-changing experience’
Among Waymo’s champions was Jessie Wolinsky, a disability advocate and member of South Carolina-based Foundation Fighting Blindness.
The 33-year-old legally blind San Francisco resident said Waymo offers a “life-changing experience” and a level of independence that other ride-hailing apps can’t.
“This was the first time I was able to be in a vehicle by myself,” Wolinsky said. “Getting into a car with a man at whatever hours of the night, I have some unsettling stories, as many women do … and this is about being safe from sexual assault.”
Wolinsky said she’s ridden Waymos throughout the Bay Area 644 times over the last few years, first as part of a tester program and later as a consumer.
She said she is sympathetic to the labor issue created by self-driving cars, noting that the blind community struggles with unemployment as well.
However, she said she trusts self-driving vehicles over “some human drivers who do some crazy [things].”
Accessibility is strength
For Chris Cate, president and chief executive of San Diego’s Regional Chamber of Commerce, Waymos bridge consumers and businesses.
He noted that older and physically impaired San Diego residents and workers can struggle to find commuting options, and doesn’t see the harm with adding another choice to complement existing ride-hailing and public transit options.
He’s perhaps most excited about the company’s growth into downtown San Diego and its denser neighborhoods.
“I think about our larger employment centers and people needing that last mile connection to work,” he said. “Waymo does that while also offering service to the many restaurants and businesses in a really core, urban area.”
Trusting non-human drivers more
While technological advances in automobiles have improved safety for drivers and passengers, that isn’t the case for road-sharing cyclists.
The number of preventable bicycle deaths soared 37% from 1,015 nationally in 2015 to 1,392 deaths in 2024, according to the National Safety Council, while the number of people who bicycle regularly has been relatively stable for the last several years.
Kendra Ramsey, executive director of the California Bicycle Coalition, sees the expansion of Waymo as a safety benefit, rather than a concern.
Her organization is dedicated to advocacy for bicycle riders and improved roadway safety.
“Waymo has been very open and enthusiastic with the bicycling community about how their vehicles might be able to improve roadway safety,” Ramsey said. “And we’ve been impressed with how Waymo engineers have been thoughtful about how to better incorporate bicyclists’ behavior.”
She noted that Waymo’s vehicles are attentive to obstructions in bicycle lanes that may force a cyclist to leave the safety zone, while human drivers are less gracious.
“I’ve spoken with bicyclists in the Bay Area who say, kind of ironically, ‘I feel safer around a Waymo,’ because you can just cut it off and it will stop,” she said. “A human driver might not.”
The week’s biggest stories
(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
Change and concern in Los Angeles
Fuel and vehicles
Fear nature
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Editor’s pick
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Things to do
(City of Malibu / Matt Myerhoff)
Today’s recipe
A margherita pizza with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh pesto sauce at Prager Bros. Pizza in Carlsbad.
When you think about a fantastic pizza, one selection near the top should be the Pizza Margherita. The dish was created in Naples, Italy, in the 19th century and is about as classic as you can get. Here’s a simple recipe.
Photo of the day
(Ariana Drehsler/For The Times)
Games
Here’s today’s mini crossword, plus our other free, daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Jack Dolan, investigative reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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