Waymo’s new driverless cars are hard to miss. The large, futuristic vans are baby blue and lack a human at the wheel. Starting this month, you can order one of these robotaxis in Denver. So far, tens of thousands of residents have signed up for a Waymo ride. I’m one of them.
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When I opened the Waymo app, I got a message that my house is actually not in Waymo’s service area. So instead, I took a 20-minute walk to pick up my Waymo at the recreation center near my house.
Denver’s Waymo fleet is made up of electric vehicles called Ojai. Spinning lidar sensors mounted on the top and sides of the cars are constantly collecting data on the physical environment.
These cars are unusual looking. Pedestrians stared as my Waymo parked and popped its large trunk automatically.
“This experience may feel futuristic, but the need to buckle up is the same as always,” the car reminded me.
Waymo’s service area covers about 60 square miles for now, which includes destinations like Coors Field and Ball Arena, for example, but not Denver International Airport. Expansion will be gradual, according to a Waymo spokesperson.
The absence of a driver to greet and then maybe chat with felt different. But my ride was uneventful — the car braked normally and changed lanes smoothly.
So, why does the arrival of Waymo matter?
“I think a lot of it is driven by the hype and the tech, and I mean I’m not gonna deny, it’s cool. The vehicles are nice,” said Alejandro Henao, a researcher with the University of Colorado Denver.
Driverless cars are intriguing. But Waymo’s presence on Denver’s streets brings up unknowns about everything from traffic impacts to how these vehicles will handle winter.
“In the transportation world, the biggest thing we discuss is safety,” Henao said.
A peer-reviewed study by Waymo researchers suggests these robotaxis are safer than human drivers. Scott Moura, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, highlights this as the most promising takeaway.
“The rate of crashes with pedestrians, bicyclists — what we call vulnerable road users — is lower,” Moura said. “That’s quite important.”
A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, published in July, based on Waymo’s data, found that Waymo’s driverless vehicles had a lower rate of crashes reported to police than human drivers, in a handful of cities.
But problems exist. Recently, a Waymo drove right past the barricades and into a Denver farmers market. Nobody was injured.
“The trust and safety of the community is our top priority. We are dedicated to learning from this situation as we continue improving road safety in the cities we serve,” a Waymo spokesperson wrote to KUNC in an email.
In other cities, like San Francisco and Austin, Waymos have blocked first responders during emergencies.
In response, a company spokesperson noted that Waymo’s first responder engagement team has trained more than 40,000 first responders nationwide, including in Denver.
“In California alone, our vehicles interact safely and appropriately with 50,000+ active emergency vehicles every week,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to KUNC.
How Waymo will behave on Denver's streets, as the service expands, is somewhat unknown.
“Is it safer in Denver in adverse weather conditions with road construction? You know, we’ll see. We’ll see,” Moura said.
Waymo says this new fleet is equipped with a cleaning system to keep its sensors free of snow and ice. It has spent years training these cars in winter conditions — in California’s Sierra mountains and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
My Waymo ride to downtown Denver wrapped up with a reminder.
“Don’t forget your phone, keys or wallet, and any items in the trunk. Press the button on the door when you are ready to exit.”
Again, people on the sidewalk stared at my Waymo as it pulled over and popped its trunk. I got out and the blue car drove off.
After running a quick errand, I ordered a rideshare — with a human driver — because it could take me right to my door, instead of a mile away.
