Waymo Passenger’s Nashville Ride Took an Unexpected Turn

The Google self-driving car project, now more conveniently named Waymo, has made its debut in Nashville and other cities across the country. Yes, we have entered the era of driverless taxi service.

Waymo

Autonomous driving technology is quickly making itself known in cities around the world, but its arrival in Music City got my attention. Talk about a "car city," Nashville, a global entertainment capital, is the kind of town that can totally maximize this level of tech. Every time I'm down there, Ubers, Lyfts, and good old-fashioned taxicabs are scurrying everywhere. The city was ready. How about you?

Waymo Technology

According to its website, Waymo first maps out its entire terrain, paying hyper-close attention to details like where crosswalks, curbs, stop signs, and lane markers are located. Custom maps team up with real-time sensor data to supplement the work done by GPS. The next thing you know, you have a driverless vehicle.

Waymo Nashville

Waymo launched in Nashville back in April, but a recent experience by one passenger shows that the technology can still have the occasional hiccup. It began with a late-night drop-off at the wrong location for Sawyer Merritt, a YouTuber who travels around the country testing Waymo Drivers. Here was his Waymo experience a few weeks ago.

I'm fascinated by this technology but, admittedly, a little wary. I'm confident that the experts will work everything out that needs it, and I'm perfectly happy being patient until that happens.

Waymo currently serves 11 major metropolitan areas in the U.S., with 19 more on tap plus London and Tokyo.