Robotaxi reality check: Where humans still win

I'd rather drive myself and hand the car to the Waymo attendant.

Robotaxi reality check: Where humans still win

By Jason, Hiner, The Deep View

May 25, 2026

There are times to take a robotaxi, and there are times when you need a human driver. I found that out the hard way this week.

It all started with my bright idea on Tuesday morning. I was staying in San Francisco and needed an early ride down to Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View for the Google I/O keynote. "Wouldn't it be fitting to take a Waymo to the event?" I thought. "I'll just leave plenty early." Big mistake.

I wanted to check into Google I/O when the doors opened around 8:00 a.m. to get a good seat for taking photos. So I planned to leave around 7:15 a.m. since the ride would take about 45 minutes in an Uber. Since a Waymo usually takes a little longer to hail, and it doesn't drive as aggressively, I figured it would take a little extra time. Plus, there might be extra traffic.

So I wasn't surprised when the Waymo picked me up at 7:20 a.m.and calculated an estimated arrival time of 8:32 a.m. Sure, that sounded a little slow, but I didn't sweat it since seating at Google’s keynote wouldn't begin until 8:30 a.m. anyway.

The trip went smoothly from pickup at my hotel in Mission Bay to getting on Highway 1 and cruising for about 30 miles to getting off on Exit 400A and getting onto Amphitheatre Parkway, about a mile from the venue. We were still on track for an on-time dropoff. And then things fell apart.

The traffic in Mountain View was completely backed up and was being routed in very specific ways. At one point, the Waymo waited very patiently in a line of cars that didn't move for about 10 minutes. An experienced Uber driver would likely have switched lanes and found a different route. After finally moving through the traffic snarl, the Waymo then did something unexpected.

It turned left and went onto a back road where few other cars were going. That ended up putting us in the parking lot of a Google campus building. Once there, the Waymo started acting as if it was uncertain which way to turn. So, I tapped the Support button on the backseat screen, and a Waymo agent came on the speakerphone to help. As we talked through the situation, the Waymo eventually circled around the perimeter of the parking lot and pulled onto a street where it could take me to the drop-off point in Lot B of the Shoreline Amphitheatre.

The Waymo dropped me off at 9:09, 37 minutes after the originally calculated drop-off time and almost two hours after picking me up. The ride cost $102.72, and afterward, Waymo sent me a $10 credit to apply to a future ride, for my troubles. Luckily, Sabrina Ortiz saved me a seat at the Google I/O keynote, and all ended well.

Based on this experience, I've come up with a list of situations where I'll avoid Waymo (and other robotaxi services) in the future and take an Uber instead:

• When I'm in a hurry and have a really important meeting or event, and it's critical that I be on time

• When there could be irregular traffic situations and road closures

• When there are unnamed roads and places that could put the vehicle in unfamiliar territory

• When there is the potential for heavy traffic that may demand the ability to think creatively about finding alternative routes

To be clear, I've had lots of good rides with Waymo. I like the service, and I'll continue to use it. If you're not familiar, Waymo started out as the Google Self-Driving Car Project and is still owned by Alphabet, Google's parent company. That's why I thought it would be apropos to take a Waymo to the main event at Google I/O 2026. That’s also why it's so ironic that, of all places to get lost, the Waymo got lost on Google's campus. This incident was a good reminder that there are situations where a human's ability to "think on their feet," navigate ambiguity, apply common sense, and deal with uncertainty remain key advantages over AI, at least for now. It’s also a reminder that self-driving vehicles still have miles to go before we can start relying on them for our most important rides.