I was going through LA primarily to change planes on the way home from DC, but I decided to take a multi-day layover to ride a Waymo, use public transport, and catch up with a few people. I am a bit late to the game of reviewing AVs, though I have ridden in Tesla’s in experimental (i.e. beta) ‘autopilot’ mode as early as 2016 and went to work adjacent to experimental automated cars in the Berkeley PATH program at Richmond Field Station (1998-99), so the technology is slowly emerging from its birthing stage into its growth stage. It has clearly gotten better over time.
Downloading the Waymo app before the trip, I had to wait until I was in the actual service area to try it out. Ironically, I took public transport to ride a car (the opposite of park and ride), going to LA’s Union Station (more on that in another post) and requested a ride from the app. It directed me to the Union Station bike share lot for pickup at a reasonable off-street location for passenger collection. My vehicle (I guess like most or all of the Waymos in the LA region) was a Jaguar.
The experience can best be described as an Uber ride with a very competent driver. The car was a bit jerky when creeping forward to follow traffic more closely, especially at stoplights, but nothing major. At one point, another car cut it off, and the Waymo handled the situation smoothly.
The most human-like moment came when it crossed a double yellow line to avoid a parked car on the roadside. That’s what any good human driver would do.
The $16 ride ended as scheduled at the USC Expo Station.1
Update: A reader notes this was probably in a zone Not Permitted for pickup and drop off, so Waymo is a scofflaw.
A random person on the street noticed the car and asked, “Was that a driverless car? I’d never ride one of them.” I replied, “Yeah, it was a great ride—like an Uber.” He asked where I was from. When I said I was from the US but living in Australia, he noted, “I knew there was something about you.” There’s no chance I’d pass as an Aussie.
I have photos below. There are some videos, but they don’t translate well to Substack.

FIN.
USC stood out with its heavy security presence—quite a contrast to less expensive schools, even those with less famous rowing programs.
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