My First San Francisco Robotaxi Ride Experience

Pickup Strategy

🚕 Q: How does the pickup strategy in San Francisco differ from Austin?
A: San Francisco uses designated pickup spots, while Austin initially tried to pick up passengers as close to their requested location as possible.

🗺️ Q: Why is high-definition mapping crucial for robotaxi services?
A: High-definition mapping is essential for safely navigating to designated pickup spots, especially in "cyber cab" scenarios without human supervisors.

Service Comparison

💰 Q: How do San Francisco robotaxi prices compare to Uber?
A: Prices are comparable to Uber, with a 15-minute ride costing $11, which is cheaper than Uber X but not significantly.

Safety and Technology

🛡️ Q: What safety measures are in place for San Francisco robotaxis?
A: Safety measures include designated pickup spots, high-definition mapping, and advanced software for safe navigation and accident avoidance.

💻 Q: How does the software in San Francisco robotaxis compare to Austin's?
A: The software is identical, featuring the same buttons and functionality, including "pull over," "stop," and "lane support" options.

👨✈️ Q: What's the role of the driver in San Francisco robotaxis?
A: A driver is present in the driver's seat but is not required to hold the steering wheel or monitor the road.

Software and Interface

🖥️ The robotaxi software in San Francisco is identical to Austin's, including the same buttons and screen layout, despite the presence of a supervisor in the driver's seat.

🛑 Standard mode is used in San Francisco with no differences from Austin, featuring the same pull over, stop, and lane support buttons.

Operational Behavior

🚗 San Francisco robotaxis accelerate and merge onto interstates like human drivers, with safety operators using mirrors instead of blind spot cameras.

🚦 The robotaxi exhibits defensive driving by decelerating for yellow lights and pausing for emerging cars, then continuing when safe.

Pickup and Drop-off

📍 Designated pickup spots in San Francisco are 3-10 minutes away from users, unlike Austin where robotaxis aim for the closest possible location to the pin.

🚕 At the destination, the robotaxi blinks its turn signal, allows passenger exit, and drives away with hazard lights on, guided by the safety driver's instructions.

• 00:00 🚗 The speaker shares their first San Francisco robotaxi ride experience, facing issues with airport and parking garage access, and confusion with pickup locations.
  • Chuck attempts to take his first San Francisco robotaxi ride, but the airport is out of bounds and parking garages for Uber and Lyft may have restricted access.
  • The speaker experienced confusion with a San Francisco robotaxi's designated pickup spot strategy, which sometimes placed the pickup location far from their desired spot.
• 01:38 🚗 The speaker hails a Tesla Model 3 robotaxi in San Francisco, marking their first ride experience with the autonomous vehicle service.
  • The speaker experiences a San Francisco robotaxi ride, noting the designated pickup spot and wondering if high-definition mapping will be implemented everywhere the service expands.
  • The speaker hails a Tesla Model 3 robotaxi with a designator tag, which pulls over in a suitable spot displaying ride hail tags.
• 03:10 🚗 The speaker takes a San Francisco robotaxi ride with Full Self-Driving software, supervised by a driver due to local regulations.
  • The speaker takes a robotaxi ride in San Francisco, noting the software is identical to their previous experience in Austin, with the only difference being a supervisor in the driver's seat due to local regulations.
  • The rider demonstrates a San Francisco Robotaxi ride with Full Self-Driving software, showing no requirement to hold the steering wheel while a supervisor monitors cautiously.
• 05:03 🚗 The Model Y robotaxi navigates San Francisco's back roads, making smooth turns and decelerating normally at a yellow light, with similar screen buttons and software to its Austin counterpart.
• 08:08 🚗 The robotaxi navigates through San Francisco streets, smoothly handling turns, merging onto the interstate, and obeying traffic lights, with the rider noting the absence of blind spot cameras and adjusting their gaze accordingly.
• 14:41 🚗 The robotaxi ride was uneventful and smooth, similar to a human-driven ride, with the vehicle making cautious pauses but ultimately navigating through San Francisco streets without incident.
• 15:46 🚗 The rider experiences a San Francisco robotaxi ride, observing how the vehicle navigates and follows software instructions.
  • The robotaxi arrives at its destination, signals, and prepares to let the rider out, momentarily waiting behind a bus.
  • The rider experiences a San Francisco robotaxi ride, observing how the vehicle navigates around a bus and follows software instructions to let the rider exit and then wait for another ride.
• 17:53 🚗 The San Francisco robotaxi ride was safe, comfortable, and competitively priced at $11 for a 15-minute ride, comparable to Uber X, but had some limitations with designated pickup spots.

WatchUrl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PV_1SiHUw0