San Francisco Day 2. Driverless car.
By Gary Marsh
@garymarsh6 (24201)
United Kingdom
July 5, 2026 3:34am CST
Waymo car.
Something l was unable to do when we visited San Francisco the last time was I did not have the app on my phone but I had downloaded the app before l left home & set up payments for it.
I had ordered a Waymo driverless car through the app. It said it would be 5 minutes. We saw it approach us & the sign on the top of the car had my initials. It pulled up right up in front of us. The only way you can enter it is through the app on your phone. It then allowed us to get in once the door handles came out of the door. We got in & off we went. It was pretty amazing the map showed all the surrounding cars even pedestrians & dogs on the sidewalk. When the lights changed to red it pulled up slowly & waited for them to change to green.
The journey took around 10 minutes before safely stopping near where the ship was docked across the road opposite pier 27.
There are 800 of these driverless cars in San Francisco & they are available in other major cities throughout America too. They are all Jaguar cars & are all white with a green light on the top. It was a fantastic experience & one l enjoyed immensely. The others were impressed too but felt a little concerned about safety but I felt the car was really safe & never felt nervous at all & was really excited.
Would you ever get in a driverless car?
16 people like this
15 responses
@garymarsh6 (24201)
• United Kingdom
6 Jul
Oh yes they are very much a real thing in several cities throughout the USA.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (212037)
• United States
5 Jul
Ni, but I imagine I will try oNE at some point in my life. How did it compare in cost to uber?
4 people like this
@garymarsh6 (24201)
• United Kingdom
5 Jul
It was more expensive but now l have done it it has satisfied my curiosity. I really enjoyed it. We do not have them in London yet!
3 people like this
@AmbiePam (125560)
• United States
5 Jul
I wouldn’t get into a driverless car unless my entire party was in one. I wouldn’t initiate the ride at least. I’ve heard it’s a good experience for people, and I imagine a driverless car is often safer than the actual drivers on the roadway. Still, it might make me a little too nervous.
3 people like this
@AmbiePam (125560)
• United States
6 Jul
@garymarsh6 I imagine I would on city streets. I don’t do well on highways no matter who is driving because of a previous wreck.
I was watching the news this morning, and a Waymo customer took a video of being in one and it driving over a firework going off. Neither the customer or car were hurt.
@changjiangzhibin89 (17290)
• China
5 Jul
The driverless cars are highly sophisticated and convenient,but for my part, I might feel a little nervous if get in one,because I 've heard about several driverless car crashes.
3 people like this
@DaddyEvil (177485)
• United States
5 Jul
Same... I've watched too many YouTube videos of them crashing into people and things to feel safe in one.
2 people like this
@garymarsh6 (24201)
• United Kingdom
6 Jul
Statistically Waymo is far safer than driver operated cars. The crashes have been mainly due to drivers crashing into waymo cars. No doubt that ocassionally things do go wrong. We felt perfectly safe & at no time felt nervous.
My curiosity has now been satisfied I no longer feel the need to do it again!
1 person likes this
@rebelann (118539)
• El Paso, Texas
6 Jul
I still think it was a brave thing to do @garymarsh6 Those driverless cars give me the heeby jeebies
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (24201)
• United Kingdom
6 Jul
We lived to see another day. I am not sure I would do it again due to cost. It was great fun.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (508228)
• Italy
6 Jul
@garymarsh6 I am sure I would feel safer in one of those cars than in a normal car, considering the actual drivers.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (24201)
• United Kingdom
6 Jul
I enjoyed it & felt safe. I wanted to do it 3 years ago but did not have the app on my phone. I am pleased to say we all enjoyed it.
1 person likes this
@rsa101 (41763)
• Philippines
12 Jul
@garymarsh6 l guessed they would have figured that out. Maybe next time if l happen to be there again might try that one.
@garymarsh6 (24201)
• United Kingdom
10 Jul
@rsa101 yes I am from the UK so they had your email address & bank details & it all worked seemlessly.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (57231)
• Canada
5 Jul
I cannot say that I would be game to try riding in a driverless car.
In my city there is a problem with overcrowding, and that makes for difficult driving.
You see everything here, people making their own rules of the road as they go, for those reasons I wouldn't trust a driverless car.
3 people like this
@Juliaacv (57231)
• Canada
6 Jul
@garymarsh6 And typically that is the reason behind the majority of crashes. Very seldom is it due to a vehicle malfunctioning or a medical emergency.
@garymarsh6 (24201)
• United Kingdom
6 Jul
I think that has been one of the problems crashes happening because of other driver's fault.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (24201)
• United Kingdom
6 Jul
Go for it if nothing else it will satisfy your curiosity.
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (22636)
• United States
7 Jul
Yeah I would once the price of them goes down.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (24201)
• United Kingdom
10 Jul
Yes it was a bit more expensive but l doubt l will ever get the chance to do it again.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (24201)
• United Kingdom
6 Jul
It turned out very well they were as impressed as l was in the end. At no time did we feel our safety was compromised.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (386865)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Jul
@garymarsh6 That's good to hear. Maybe I'll be more inclined to have the experience if it ever comes my way.
1 person likes this
@AliCanary (4878)
•
5 Jul
Those are much sleeker-looking than I would have thought, but I didn't know they were Jaguars, so that explains it. I don't trust the self-driving Teslas, but I might ride in a Waymo. Did you know that people play pranks on them by trapping them between traffic cones? Poor Waymos. They're just trying to do their jobs.
3 people like this
@garymarsh6 (24201)
• United Kingdom
6 Jul
I did see a Waymo car get confused with traffic cones but quickly corrected itself.
1 person likes this
@AliCanary (4878)
•
6 Jul
@garymarsh6 it's good that they are very sensitive not to collide with anything.
@Ineeddentures (45921)
•
5 Jul
Would you ever get in a driverless car?
No.
I'm bad enough getting in a car where there is a driver who isn't me
2 people like this
@garymarsh6 (24201)
• United Kingdom
6 Jul
Haha my wife being one such case. I said to her mind the bus she asked what bus I told her that big red thing in front of us but thats the cleaned up version bbtw.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (170459)
• United States
6 Jul
Even if I lived somewhere that I could access this, I do not think I would try it.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (24201)
• United Kingdom
6 Jul
Thankfully my curiosity has been satisfied I would not go in one due to the extra cost but if needs must I would not hesitate to do it again.
