The New York Times feature written by Brian X. Chen and Cade Metz takes a deep dive into self-driving taxi services including the rise of Zoox. Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are gaining significant momentum in San Francisco, with Amazon’s Zoox launching a free test program to compete head-to-head with Google’s established Waymo service, marking a major expansion for autonomous vehicles.
In the article, The New York Times featured unique data from Obi.
“An analysis by Obi, an app that lets riders compare pricing across taxi, black car and ride-hailing services, found that Waymo rides cost 41 percent more than Lyft and 31 percent more than Uber on average at the same time on the same route.”
The higher fares may be related to a number of factors. Each car costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce, for example, and supply is limited, with relatively few autonomous vehicles in service.
The article also highlighted the emergence of Zoox with the authors taking a ride:
“Our 15-minute Zoox ride felt pleasant; the car accelerated gradually to the city’s speed limits. In one instance, the car braked suddenly to swerve when a driver coming from the opposite direction entered our lane to pass a bus. At stoplights, the car braked smoothly. When we reached our destination, we pressed a button on the touch screen to open the doors to exit.”
With Zoox entering the AV race and Waymo expanding rapidly, this feature highlights how the AV race has only just begun.
Summary of the full article:
The San Francisco Context
Initial Hesitation, Current Acceptance: Self-driving cars were initially met with protest and controversy in San Francisco, particularly after incidents involving GM’s Cruise vehicles (which were subsequently removed from the road). However, Waymo adopted a more cautious approach, and the city has largely become “Waymo-pilled.”
New Competition: Amazon is now rolling out a free test program for its boxy, carriage-shaped Zoox robot taxis in San Francisco, making it the first city where Zoox and Waymo will compete head-to-head. Zoox is also testing in Las Vegas and plans to expand to Miami and Austin, Texas.
Zoox Features and Service
Design: Zoox vehicles lack a driver’s seat, maximizing passenger room. They offer amenities like wireless phone chargers and touch screens for controlling music, cabin temperature, calling for help, or opening doors.
Pickups: The robot taxis are programmed to pick people up only in zones deemed safe, which means riders may occasionally have to walk a short distance to their car, as the vehicle might not park directly in front of their exact location.
Expansion: Waymo is also expanding, having extended its service from San Francisco to San Jose and allowing rides on freeways in the Bay Area, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.
Upsides of Self-Driving Taxis
Safety: Proponents argue that autonomous vehicles could reduce the risk of accidents caused by human error (e.g., distraction, intoxication). Waymo’s safety data suggests that, compared to average human drivers traveling the same distance, its vehicles had significantly fewer crashes resulting in injuries.
Increased Options: They provide consumers with an alternative to traditional ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft, which can have challenging availability and high surge pricing during peak hours.
Rider Safety/Comfort: For some, riding with a robot eliminates the possibility of encountering an abusive or unsafe human driver, a concern that has been raised in reports involving traditional ridesharing companies.
Full article available here.
For more information on Obi’s AV and other data sets please visit our research page.
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