Waymo robotaxis are more expensive and arrive later than the competition
Waymo's autonomous cabs are not causing a decline of cab ride prices in LA, at least not yet. According to a study, they are noticeably pricier.
(Image: Waymo)
Rides in Waymo's autonomous cabs in San Francisco are more expensive than those arranged via the Uber or Lyft apps, regardless of the route length and time of day. This is the key finding of a study by the analysis company Obi, which was made public by TechCrunch. According to the study, a ride in a Waymo vehicle costs 41 percent more on average than one with Lyft and 31 percent more than one with Uber. In addition, you have to wait noticeably longer for a Waymo vehicle than for one of its competitors with a human at the wheel, especially in the afternoon and evening hours. According to Obi, this indicates that people are prepared to accept disadvantages for rides without someone at the wheel.
Men in particular have a lot of confidence
For the analysis, Obi evaluated data on transportation offered by the three services in San Francisco over a period of one month. This is where rides with Waymo cabs have been available the longest. The company also surveyed Waymo customers in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix. Almost 50 percent of the men surveyed, for example, stated that they would also entrust Waymo with their children. The figure was slightly lower among women. More than 70 percent of those surveyed stated that they prefer Waymo to a ride with the competition.
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Obi was also surprised by the results of the study, as a manager told TechCrunch. It had always been assumed that autonomous cabs would undercut those with people at the wheel in terms of price. This is not the case and probably not to be expected for now. Furthermore, it was not expected that customers would be willing to pay an average of 11 US dollars (compared to Lyft) or 9.50 US dollars (compared to Uber) more to use a Waymo cab. This suggests that there is a real sense of enthusiasm for the new technology and a "real preference for sometimes sitting in the car without a driver".
(mho)
