Waymo's market share in San Francisco exceeds Lyft's

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

User experience: Waymo vs Uber/Lyft

  • Multiple commenters describe Uber/Lyft as increasingly unreliable: cancellations, long waits, drivers starting trips in the wrong direction, poor driving (jerky regen, warning lights on), and uncomfortable or hostile conversations (racism, religious rants).
  • Waymo is repeatedly described as more consistent and dependable: it shows up, drives smoothly, handles complex situations (blocked lanes, erratic e-bikes) competently, and feels like a premium, mind‑blowing experience despite quirks (slow turns, occasional routing oddities).
  • Some now default to Waymo when available and use Uber/Lyft only for airports or areas Waymo doesn’t serve.

Social interaction, norms, and public space

  • One thread argues that switching to robotaxis further isolates riders from certain social classes; another replies that exposure via ridehail isn’t particularly valuable, and that what people really want is to avoid antisocial or abusive behavior.
  • A related debate spins into public transit: some want “normal people” to ride more if homeless and disruptive riders were removed; others stress enforcement of clear rules vs exclusion based on status, and point to broader failures in social welfare, mental health, and shared behavioral norms.

Labor, gig work, and job loss

  • There is tension between critics who say ridehail driving is structurally bad, low‑margin, and something society should be fine replacing, versus those who note many drivers actively choose the flexibility and won’t welcome losing their income.
  • Several point out the exploitative structure where drivers supply the capital (cars) while platforms capture most profits, often ignoring depreciation and long‑term costs.

Competition, pricing, and platform futures

  • People are puzzled why Uber prices haven’t visibly responded to Waymo competition in SF.
  • There’s speculation about Uber’s future role:
    • As just a thin‑margin dispatch layer for AV fleets (possibly in partnership with Waymo),
    • As a diversified logistics platform (Uber Eats, etc.), or
    • As a long‑term loser if AVs dominate key profitable cities.
  • Others argue Lyft is more exposed than Uber in SF, with Waymo siphoning off the “anyone‑but‑Uber” crowd.

Scalability and technical limits

  • One camp thinks Waymo only needs to win a few dozen major cities to crush Uber’s ridehail margins.
  • Skeptics argue AVs are tuned for relatively orderly US traffic and high‑definition maps; they may struggle to scale to cities with chaotic driving norms and informal signaling, where human drivers cope better.

Safety, liability, and regulation

  • There’s concern about how insurance and liability will work at AV scale, citing already‑messy processes for ridehail accidents and fears that big firms will structure liability away from themselves.
  • Others counter that centralized corporate liability is straightforward for insurers and that per‑ride insurance costs need not be prohibitive, even if AVs are only modestly safer than humans.
  • One person expects current deregulation trends to make early robotaxi deployments “rough”; others challenge this as under‑argued.

Privacy, anonymity, and identity

  • Some want to use Waymo anonymously like a traditional taxi paid in cash, criticizing the requirement for a Google account and seeing it as a problematic data tie‑in.
  • Others respond that anonymity with expensive automated assets is unrealistic in today’s surveillance/ID environment, and that only regulation is likely to improve privacy.
  • A side debate questions whether consumers truly value privacy, given their continued use of data‑harvesting “free” services.

Urban design, parking, and modal alternatives

  • Discussion touches on whether ridehailing (human or AV) makes sense in dense cities already choked with traffic and limited road space.
  • Some argue street‑side parking is more wasteful than rideshare; others warn that removing parking can also drive away visitors, depending on transit alternatives.
  • E‑bikes and motorcycles are suggested as faster, more anonymous, and often more practical urban options where infrastructure allows.

Tipping and cultural friction

  • Non‑US commenters appreciate that robotaxis eliminate tipping and see that as a major psychological benefit when visiting.
  • Others note that tips on Uber/Lyft are optional and presented post‑ride, but acknowledge broader social pressure around tipping norms.