Sentiment shifting on Waymo

Federal lawmakers, such as U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco and former U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo penned a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, requesting more in-depth reporting requirements for autonomous vehicles.

Waymo launched rides for employees in parts of San Mateo County —  mostly the northern part of the Peninsula — last May and expanded its public ride-hailing service to Daly City, Colma and Broadmoor in August. Since then, according to data from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, there have been two collision reports involving Waymo in San Mateo County. One occurred in February in Brisbane, though, according to the report, the incident was minor and did not appear to be initiated by the Waymo car. The other occurred in South City in October and also did not appear initiated by Waymo. Statewide, about 45 collision reports involving Waymo have been reported to the DMV since August 2024.

Dave Canepa, president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, was vocal in his concerns with Waymo’s expansion to the Peninsula last year, but is now a frequent user and supporter of the cars.

“I have a thousand problems, and Waymo isn’t one of them,” Canepa said. “Waymo has really stepped up their game … I take Waymo once a week now, and I feel very safe.”

While some residents are still skeptical, many have also come around to the new technology. San Mateo resident Juda Tolmasoff hasn’t taken a driverless taxi before, mostly relying on public transportation, but said she understands why it’s appealing for others.

“I am a senior citizen, so the Clipper Card is very economical for me,” Tolmasoff said. “I’ve got the luxury to do it because I've got the time to do it. If people need access to other alternatives, if that makes their life less stressful, I’m happy for them, and I’m happy for me that I’ve got my bus, and it's working for me.”

Millbrae resident Carble Cheung said he was concerned about previous situations in which Tesla autopilot settings may have caused accidents, but he’s been pleasantly surprised by how much safer he feels in a Waymo compared to an Uber or Lyft. 

“If Waymo gets in an accident, it becomes really big news and everything falls apart,” Cheung said. “It makes some weird mistakes when it doesn't know [certain things], but over time things get better … I felt way more safe in Waymo with my wife and daughter than with my Uber driver who was constantly looking at their phone.”

Still, he knows there can be limitations and learning curves. For instance, there are many suburban two-way streets with cars parked on each side. Human drivers know that one driver should pull off to the side to let the other through on a narrow street like that, but autonomous vehicles may have more difficulty. 

“Until something better or something horrible happens, this is the reality of where we are,” Cheung said. “It’s still new technology, and the culture of San Francisco and the greater Bay Area of accepting and adopting this new form of transportation, I think, it’s worked out great.”