The self-driving robotic rideshare service popularized in the Bay Area has made its way to Sacramento.<\/p>\n
Waymo posted a press release on its website on Feb. 5 saying the expansion is a part of the \u201cVision Zero\u201d goals Sacramento has been pushing, which says traffic accidents are preventable through better safety regulations, according to the City of Sacramento transportation website.<\/p>\n
In the release, Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty said one of his concerns was to make sure the city has reliable and safe transportation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re excited to work with Waymo to expand mobility options that are designed with safety at their core,\u201d McCarty said in Waymo\u2019s recent press release. \u201cBy offering new ways to move around the Capital City, we\u2019re providing our residents with more choice while staying focused on our goal of making every street safer for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Waymo is set to expand to Sacramento County cities including Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Folsom, Galt, Rancho Cordova, Sacramento and Isleton, according to the DMV website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Students and staff at Cosumnes River College expressed different opinions on Waymo\u2019s expansion.<\/p>\n Campus police officer Fidel Adea said that having been around the rideshare service when he lived and served in San Francisco, it might be a good thing to help eliminate distracted driving.<\/p>\n \u201cBased on what I\u2019ve seen and what I\u2019ve read about, they\u2019re pretty accurate as far as like if there\u2019s a car that gets close, it stops and if there\u2019s a pedestrian crossing, it stops,\u201d Adea said.<\/p>\n Adea also said that when he worked in the Bay Area, he didn\u2019t come across any problems.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a police officer in San Francisco, too, and we never really had any issues with Waymo cars. They\u2019re pretty on point with how smart the AI is,\u201d Adea said.<\/p>\n Aeint Myet Cheo, a 19-year-old mechanical engineering major, said she lived in San Francisco, saw them all the time and has ridden in a Waymo before. Cheo said she agrees with the safety of not having a driver.<\/p>\n \u201cAs someone who drives a car, I feel more secure when it\u2019s driverless because you don\u2019t need to watch out for anything and it has more reliable decisions,\u201d Cheo said.<\/p>\n Cheo said she would recommend trying it at least once, but they cost more than a regular rideshare.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is more expensive than normal ones, so that is the only downside to it,\u201d Cheo said.<\/p>\n Paying for a Waymo can cost 12-27% more than a ride with Lyft or Uber, according to a data release on Newswire citing information gathered by Obi, the AI-powered rideshare data report program.<\/p>\n Amare\u2019 Williams, a 19-year-old kinesiology major, expressed the same cost concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cI would assume it would be more expensive, right?\u201d Williams said. \u201cAn Uber is already expensive, and I used to take Ubers, so I know I\u2019m not going to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n He said due to these high prices, he doesn\u2019t think it will be as popular in Sacramento.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see it being that big, and people that do have money like that probably have a car,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n Malic Xiong, an 18-year-old business major, said he first saw it on TikTok and found the concept of not having a driver cool but scary.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is kind of half-and-half because it is risky because what happens if it loses control? That person can\u2019t do anything about it,\u201d Xiong said. \u201cBut it is also pretty cool, you know? AI is kind of taking over. Not just driving, but like school and work and anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryan Lu, an 18-year-old computer science major, said he doesn\u2019t see himself riding in one.<\/p>\n \u201cI got my parents and I can drive by myself, so I don\u2019t need a car that can drive itself,\u201d Lu said.<\/p>\n Xiong said he is not surprised that something this advanced is coming to the city.<\/p>\n \u201cSacramento is getting bigger now and popular, so it makes sense that we have that kind of technology coming here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Waymo is sending out vehicles to gather data on the city\u2019s \u201cunique dynamics\u201d and is not yet ready for the public as of yet, according to Waymo\u2019s press release. For more updates on when rides will be available, you can visit the Waymo website here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The self-driving robotic rideshare service popularized in the Bay Area has made its way to Sacramento. 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