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I’m All in on Waymo Coming to Philly
By Kyle Pagan
Published:
I used to be undecided on Waymos when they announced the autonomous vehicles coming to Philadelphia for test driving. I thought at least one of these robots would see the same fate that HitchBOT did.
Well, after a summer of little problems, Waymo launched their next phase of autonomous test rides in Center City, with drivers behind the wheel.
I also wanted to share my experience in LA this weekend where I took my third and fourth Waymo trip.The people I was with are vets of the autonomous vehicle game and I’m not gonna lie, my first couple of times riding was tough getting used to. But every time you ride in another one you get more used to it. It’s like riding Steel Force at Dorney Park. You might be terrified the first time you do it, but once you do you want to ride it again. Who remembers how weird it was getting into an Uber when those debuted in the city over a decade ago? I think I remember them technically being illegal when they debuted the UberX.
Anyway, I think it’s a no brainer these take over the city in the future. They’re so much more convenient. You don’t have to deal with a distracted driver on the phone or a smelly car or a dude giving you an eye-roll cause your fourth person asks to sit in the front seat and he has all of his shit there. It hooks up to your Spotify immediately and you can control just about anything you want (other than the wheel). The technology is awesome and the best part is that drivers in LA are still getting used to them so they give you the right of way in traffic. It’s like a driving hack! And I know what you’re going to say, “No way this works! Philly has the worst drivers!” LA has some pretty shitty drivers and more drivers than Philly. Double-parked and cutting people off were all a part of the trip and the Waymo’s tech handled it fine.
If I had to predict, I think it’ll roll out like Uber did in Philadelphia. You’ll have your early-adopters, you’ll have people take a little to get used to it, and you’ll have people swear it off. But one day it’ll be as normal as it was taking an Uber or cab. Isn’t that how it all works out generation to generation? The TV and 24-hour sports networks were never going to catch on too, and now everyone has at least three TVs showing games and highlights at all hours of the night. That’s why I laugh at videos like this:
I bet you the guy who watched the Jetsons thought we’d have flying cars by now too, but driverless cars are somehow off limits.
Then you’ve got this guy who thinks Waymos shouldn’t be on the streets during an Eagles playoff celebration. No shit:
The only car that didn’t know Eagles fans were celebrating a playoff win on Broad Street was driven by Paul George:
So get in. Strap up. And pray it doesn’t drive into a police standoff:
Kyle writes blog posts and does Man on the Street-style videos all around Philadelphia. He graduated from Temple University (a basketball school) in 2015. contact: k.pagan@sportradar.com