Atlanta Riders Are So Desperate To Try Waymo, They're Reportedly Canceling Rides With Human Drivers

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While Tesla plays astir pinch "robotaxis" that still request a quality driver, Waymo's been operating existent robotaxis for years. Not everyone has ever loved them, but they've been successful enough that they've expanded to respective different cities extracurricular California and Arizona. Thanks to a caller business pinch Uber, you tin now get a Waymo successful Atlanta, but since you person to spell done nan Uber app, you can't precisely bid 1 directly. That's led a batch of Atlantans, hopeless to effort a robotaxi for themselves, simply canceling immoderate rides pinch quality drivers until they get a Waymo, Business Insider reports.

In different cities wherever Waymo operates, you tin conscionable usage nan Waymo app to book a ride, truthful it whitethorn sound overseas to perceive that folks successful Atlanta can't do nan aforesaid thing. But nope. In Atlanta, you person to book your Waymo done Uber. And while you tin show Uber you for illustration a Waymo, that doesn't guarantee you'll really get one. Apparently, moreover pinch that action selected, it tin return a batch of canceled rides earlier you get one, too. 

When Business Insider said to Atlanta resident Nate Galesic, he said that connected average, he has to cancel an mean of 20 human-driven rides earlier he tin get a Waymo. According to Galesic, though, that's portion of nan fun, saying, "The truth that it's truthful challenging to get has turned it into a game."

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As Galesic told Business Insider, he's an adjunct head successful TV and film, and aft a agelong time connected set, it's bully to not person to thrust himself aliases woody pinch a quality driver. Apparently, it doesn't wounded that he tin motion disconnected without judgment, too, saying, "I've ever dreamt astir nan time erstwhile I could conscionable walk retired connected nan measurement to and from work." 

Galesic isn't nan only Atlanta resident who told Business Insider they spell retired of their measurement to find a Waymo, either. Andrew Nerney has only taken astir 5 trips pinch Waymo compared to Galesic's 35, but he's apparently dedicated to it capable that he's consenting to do thing almost unheard of successful Georgia — walk. That's because he technically lives extracurricular nan area Waymo operates in, truthful aft canceling connected each nan quality drivers to get a robotaxi, he past has to locomotion 2 blocks to get picked up. 

An Uber spokesperson told Business Insider Waymo presently has "dozens of vehicles" successful nan Atlanta area, but that fig will turn to "hundreds complete nan adjacent fewer years." That would theoretically make it easier for residents to lucifer pinch robotaxis, but it's still a mini number for a metropolis that has astir 500,000 residents and a metro area organization of much than 6 million. If you want to summation your chances of getting a Waymo now, though, Business Insider does connection immoderate advice:

Riders tin maximize their chances of being paired pinch a Waymo car by avoiding trips that impact freeway driving, riding extracurricular high-demand times for illustration nights and weekends, and making judge that their pick-up and drop-off points are wrong nan existent 65-square-mile Atlanta work area, nan spokesperson said. An action successful Uber's settings paper allows users to bespeak that they for illustration rides successful a Waymo.