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.