ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 Traffic Safety Expert Trooper Steve took a seat in a Waymo robotaxi on Tuesday as the autonomous ride-hailing service made its debut in the Orlando area, calling the experience “calm and reassuring” as the vehicle navigated busy streets.
Passengers can personalize temperature and seat settings through Waymo’s app, and the company says its vehicles use cameras, lidar, radar and artificial intelligence to detect buses, pedestrians and emergency vehicles.
“It noticed that a bus was coming through the intersection. It picked up that a pedestrian was in the crosswalk,” Trooper Steve said. “That is a huge Lynx bus, and it recognizes that, ‘All right, this is an incredibly large vehicle out on the roadway.‘“
Waymo officials said the system — which they call the Waymo driver — continually recalculates to make safe decisions in real time.
“I feel safe. I feel like there is something happening outside this car that I can’t see,” Trooper Steve said.
Trooper Steve and company representatives emphasized that a measured rollout that will expand service areas and rider access gradually as the company evaluates performance and builds public confidence.
You can watch a POV of the Waymo ride-along at the top of this story.