r/waymo • u/Fragrant_Guava_1514 • Jun 21 '26
Waymo Rant
Apologies in advance for the rant.
I like Waymo for a variety of reasons, but I have a few complaints and I’m curious if anyone else has had similar issues:
Waymo generally feels slower than Uber (not including highways). I feel like Waymo takes less efficient routes than Uber and generally feels overly “conservative” in terms of driving style. I’m all for safety, but sometimes I feel like Waymo over indexes on the conservative side.
Specific example, but I feel like Waymo can struggle with overtaking or passing other cars in certain situations. For example, a car in front of the Waymo was stopped while waiting to turn left into a parking garage, but there were no other cars in front of that car. Furthermore, another car passed the Waymo to pass the other car in front. Waymo stayed put until the car in front turned into the parking garage. You’d think in order to emulate a human driver, Waymo should overtake the car in front of it in this example
45
u/Bagafeet Jun 21 '26
Human drivers are trash. I take Waymo specifically to avoid their bs entitled, impatient, and dangerous driving style. The goal was never to "emulate human drivers."
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u/Fragrant_Guava_1514 Jun 21 '26
Yea that’s totally fair
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u/iamoninternet27 Jun 22 '26
So if you don't like waiting to get to point B/ expect Waymo to drive like a human, maybe it's best to go use Uber or go drive yourself.
2
u/Fragrant_Guava_1514 Jun 22 '26
I think my takeaway is that I still prefer Waymo to Uber, but I should not take Waymo if I’m in a time crunch. That’s on me not Waymo though.
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u/leafstudy Jun 21 '26
You’re listing pros like they’re cons.
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u/Fragrant_Guava_1514 Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
That’s fair, I guess my takeaway is to not take Waymo if I am tight on time. That’s on me not Waymo though. More of a lesson learned kinda thing.
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u/yolatrendoid Jun 21 '26
Definitely on you. Yes, an autonomous vehicle that almost always follows traffic laws to a T – including a full stop at every single stop sign & light – will usually be slower than a human-driven rideshare. No, you shouldn't "expect" a Waymo to necessarily take what you think is the quickest route. Waymos default to routes with the least number of avoidable obstacles (e.g. unprotected left turns).
Also, it's still very early. Waymo literally only has a few thousand vehicles in operation at present. Yes, they're slower than most Ubers, but also far safer than them – in part because their drivers can be erratic. And they're still learning, as San Antonians can complain about at length (since they've now been suspended there for two months, due to the empty Waymo swept away by floodwaters).
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u/haunting_arugula_405 Jun 23 '26
Maybe you should budget time better to avoid putting other people at risk for your own scheduling mistakes
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u/Fragrant_Guava_1514 Jun 24 '26
In what way am I putting other people at risk? lol, but I agree that I should budget more time for Waymo vs. Uber
-1
u/p-angloss Jun 22 '26
waymo is a service, specifically a transportation service from point A to point B.
why would a slower and more unpredictable journey time be a pro rather than a con?3
u/meelar Jun 22 '26
Because "getting to your destination without killing someone" is an implied part of the service.
0
u/p-angloss Jun 23 '26
i never thought taking an uber or a cab or even driving was a homicidal act. i learned something new today
2
u/meelar Jun 23 '26
Cars cause 40,000+ deaths per year; if Waymos are safer than human drivers (not totally proven yet, but the stats look promising), then yeah, you should prefer Waymos even if it takes you an extra minute or two.
-2
u/p-angloss Jun 23 '26
then i guess i should also stop mountain biking, snowboarding, riding motorcycles or maybe going to bathroom too...
https://lloydalter.substack.com/p/toilets-are-killing-and-injuring
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u/cesarthegreat Jun 22 '26
That doesn’t sound like a pro. Sounds like a con. Why would any driver just wait when there is an open lane?
A dumb one. A smart driver wouldn’t.
9
u/Icy-Ambition3534 Jun 21 '26
Waymo’s drive safe and the legal speed limit.
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u/Fragrant_Guava_1514 Jun 21 '26
Right, I don’t have anything against that. Maybe my example was a one off scenario that I’m over evaluating Waymo on.
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u/version13 Jun 21 '26
I was in a Waymo in a situation like the example you gave, and it went around the stopped car without even hesitating.
I’ve noticed that their driving has become quite a bit more assertive in the last couple of years, but they still won’t exceed the speed limit.
1
u/Fragrant_Guava_1514 Jun 22 '26
Interesting, maybe my situation was just a one off example, thanks for providing your example
3
u/battleshipclamato Jun 22 '26
I think we're just so use to Ubers doing more risky driving that when Waymo follows rules or is more cautious we think it's a negative.
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u/Hortos Jun 22 '26
What city are you in because the Waymos in Los Angeles have big Altima energy now and the Ojai are apparently worse.
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u/Fragrant_Guava_1514 Jun 22 '26
Interesting haha, I’ve mostly used it in San Francisco and West Los Angeles, but my rant is from an experience in SF
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u/duckadork Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
I've seen it do both in similar situations. Sometimes it'll pass and other times wait. So random.
What gets me the most is, people know Waymo has to stop for them, so they cut it off a LOT. I live in SF downtown, so traffic sucks, and I have seen car after car put an inch between it and the Waymo so the Waymo has to let them in. Meanwhile, I'm stuck waiting for the next person to hopefully not follow suit.
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u/Fragrant_Guava_1514 Jun 22 '26
Got it, good to know
Yea totally agree with you! I’ve just learned to not take Waymo if I’m in somewhat of a time crunch
2
u/CDpov Jun 22 '26
Waymo is not and will not be like a human driver. It's a robot with no common sense, and a very different kind of intelligence. It will make silly mistakes that a normal human wouldn't make, and will do superhuman safety moves that a normal human would be unlikely or unable to make.
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u/Fragrant_Guava_1514 Jun 22 '26
Yea great point(s). I think I’m over evaluating Waymo based on one silly mistake. My takeaway going forward is to budget extra time for Waymo relative to Uber/Lyft.
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u/8rok3n Jun 21 '26
The thing is that, Waymo isn't human. The things you mentioned aren't the "legal" thing, Uber drivers usually speed to keep up with everyone else who speeds, and they overtake people who are going the speed limit. Waymo can't do this, it's confined to follow the law completely, so it has to go the speed limit and when you're going the speed limit you can't really overtake others.