US Leads the Way with Fully Autonomous Taxis Operated by App
With just one app, a cab driven by a robot can pick you up and take you around safely and securely. ......Technology that was once the stuff of science fiction novels is now commonplace in other countries. Automotive journalist Kumiko Kato reports on the latest fully automated cabs.
Easy Arrangement with a Single App
In early November, during a nearly three-week stay in Los Angeles for reporting, I learned that the fully autonomous (driverless) taxi service called ‘Waymo’ was available.
The Waymo project began within Google in 2009 and achieved the world’s first fully driverless operation on public roads in the fall of 2015. In December 2016, the project was rebranded as Waymo and became a separate entity under Alphabet, Google’s parent company, dedicated to developing autonomous vehicles.
Waymo had already been operating services similar to regular taxis in San Francisco and Phoenix, Arizona, but on November 12, it finally launched its service in Los Angeles. Currently, the service is available in a roughly 80-square-mile (about 200 km²) area of downtown Los Angeles, equivalent to the combined area of Hachioji and Tachikawa cities.
To use Waymo, you first need to download the ‘Waymo One’ app. Once you input your pickup location and destination, the app will display the estimated arrival time and fare. Like other rideshare services, the fare is dynamic and may increase during times of high demand.
I decided to test it by starting at a shopping facility called Santa Monica Place and setting Venice Beach as my destination. The app’s map clearly shows places where Waymo cannot stop, making it easy to avoid them when setting the destination.
While I’ve seen autonomous taxis running in Las Vegas and San Francisco during test phases, this was, of course, my first time actually riding in one.
To start the cab, touch “START RIDE” on the center display. If you need assistance, press “SUPPORT” in the lower right corner and it will be manned instantly.Automatic change to a detour route in case of traffic congestion
Amidst a mix of anxiety and anticipation, Waymo arrived at the designated spot! Since it is an electric vehicle, it approached and quietly stopped at the curb without any sound. Hesitantly, I peeked into the driver’s seat, but of course, there was no one inside.
“So this is the world’s most advanced self-driving car!”
I’m sure everyone has the same thought when they ride Waymo for the first time. When I tapped “START RIDE” on the monitor below the air conditioning vent, Waymo silently began moving.
The motor’s driving sound is quiet, and there are no sudden stops or accelerations. Initially, I was cautious about rough driving, but the ride was so smooth that I would forget it was driverless if not told. When light rain started falling, the wipers immediately began working.
What surprised me further was when we hit traffic. As the main road was congested due to construction, the car automatically selected a detour route. It passed through some very narrow streets, but the “LiDAR sensor” mounted on top, which constantly monitors the surrounding 360 degrees, easily handled the sudden appearance of electric scooters and bicycles.
In places where a human driver might miss them due to blind spots and end up in a collision, there was no problem at all. In fact, Waymo has traveled hundreds of millions of kilometers during its 10+ years of testing. In 2023 alone, it drove 7.1 million miles (11.36 million kilometers) with only three injury accidents, claiming nearly twice the safety of human drivers.
I arrived at the destination nearly on time. Since payment was completed through the app, there was no need for any fare exchange. Although there were many pedestrians around Venice Beach, no one seemed to be particularly interested or came closer.
Even though the service had only been available for about 10 days, Waymo has been running thousands of vehicles on public roads for years, so for the people of Los Angeles, this is probably not an especially rare sight.
Tesla’s “Cyber Cab” robo-taxi. Nothing is installed at the position where the left steering wheel should be. Basic operations are performed via a touch panel.Japan’s self-driving technology continues to lag behind.
The Waymo I rode was based on the Jaguar I-PACE electric vehicle, but the Tesla “CyberCab,” which made headlines worldwide when it was announced in October, is a robotaxi developed from the ground up as a driverless vehicle. In fact, it doesn’t even have a steering wheel. There are no accelerator pedals, side brakes, or meters.
The “taxis” we are familiar with typically have seating for 3-4 passengers in sedans or 6-7 passengers in minivans like the Alphard, but the CyberCab only has two seats. Passengers will actually sit where the driver’s seat would normally be. And this isn’t some far-off dream—production is set to begin in 2025, with a price of $30,000 (about 4.5 million yen), which is remarkably affordable for a self-driving vehicle.
I can’t help but think back to Japan’s unmanned taxis. Unmanned vehicles using “Level 4” autonomous driving technology, just one step below full automation, began commercial operations in May 2023 in Eiheiji, Fukui Prefecture. At the time, former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (67) and former Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Yasutoshi Nishimura (62), test drove the vehicle, making headlines with comments like, “Japan’s first! Japan’s automotive industry leads the world!”
However, the operational range of this autonomous vehicle is only about 2 kilometers. Its top speed is slower than a bicycle, and it can only move along paths embedded with electromagnetic induction wires, meaning it can only operate in very limited areas. Japan, which was a global leader just 2-3 years ago, has now fallen far behind.
Autonomous driving technology is advancing rapidly worldwide. Japan, grappling with taxi shortages in urban areas and the “2024 problem” in logistics, should take a cue from the rest of the world and once again polish its autonomous driving technology.
On November 12, the fully autonomous taxi service finally began operations in Los Angeles. How does the ride feel? Automotive journalist Kumiko Kato and photographer Hirohito Kato quickly boarded the taxi in Los Angeles, and they report their experience through a video.
Surprising Performance Revealed Through Actual Ride (1)
Interview and text： Kumiko Kato PHOTO： Hiroto Kato
