I was walking around the town centre recently when in the corner of my eye, I saw a particularly… unattractive Jaguar I-pace stopped outside The rotunda.
You may be seeing more and more I-paces with bits and bobs stuck onto them when walking around. No that’s not your eyes deceiving you, it’s Waymo scanning their way through the capital.
Waymo hasn’t put a date out for when these will be prevalent, but is preparing for a commercial launch in late 2026.
I ran to see if it is actually driving itself, but to my dismay, there was a bloke in the front seat, obviously in the case of something going wrong.
Now London is behind in this game, with cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami getting first picks, and the technology newly implemented into Tokyo.
The concept sticks back to January 2009 as a Google self-driving project, but it wasn’t until just over a decade later that Waymo would bring their project to the tarmac of San Francisco.
Even though these autonomous vehicles aren’t technically under legislation on UK roads until later next year, Uber and Waymo have been given a green light; the latter even being described, ‘The most experienced driver’.
But this got me thinking.
Sure, it’s better than your weird Uber driver prodding into your personal affairs under the flimsy guise “small talk”.
But do we really need a robot to drive us around now?
I’ll put it out there now – no, we don’t.
Many see Waymo as a gimmick – something that really has no place in London, while others see it as the future of transport.
They also add to the ever-increasing problem of humans being turned out for another AI. Except that this time it comes with 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds and all-wheel drive.
A cabbie has passed the knowledge – years of recollecting streets and shortcuts around the capital; the irregular heartbeat of London. They know the city better than the back of their hands.
I’m also not concerned about black cabs being replaced either. If people want a black cab, they’ll get one. A Waymo could only dream of the charm of a cabbie first picking you up. A cultural icon should never give way for a computer on wheels.
There’s also the safety concerns, with the videos of Waymo’s going around in circles, ignoring traffic signs and even once driving into an active crime scene. But we all cope and say to ourselves: “Human drivers can do that too?”
But there is a silver lining.
After a 12-hour press day, you can find some peace and quiet and won’t need to listen about somebody’s growing rock collection, while you try to put on your headphones, hoping they get the hint this time.
Or that annoying feeling when your Uber cancels on you last minute.
It goes on and on.
Now don’t get me wrong; I’m excited to ride in a Waymo when in due time it launches in London, for smaller commutes around the city.
But I don’t trust a robot to take me from Heathrow Terminal 4 all the way back to Kingston.
Rather, I’ll think I’ll leave that to the cabbies and leave money in the right pockets.
