A Waymo is a self-driving taxi, which means nobody is physically in the driver’s seat.
You call Waymo with an app, similar to Uber, and the Waymo car comes to get you.
Take a ride along with me on this short Waymo trip through Downtown San Diego, and you’ll get a virtual experience of what it’s like to ride in a Waymo.
Who Owns Waymo?
Alphabet owns Waymo, and Alphabet also owns Google.
Waymo started public rides in San Diego on September 1, 2026.
For comparison, Waymo has been running in Phoenix, Arizona since 2017.
Why I Took a Waymo
Earlier in the day, I parked in a free parking spot I like, with a nice view of the San Diego Airport.
Then I walked three miles into downtown San Diego, and I decided to let a Waymo take me back to my parking spot.
How Long Does a Waymo Wait for You?
Once it arrives, a Waymo waits about five minutes for you.
I used to have anxiety about potentially making an Uber driver wait for me, because most people don’t want to make another human wait for them.
It’s nice to know your Waymo will arrive and then wait up to 5 minutes for you, since that’s a nice little buffer zone to get yourself ‘fully ready’ to leave your space.
How Do You Unlock a Waymo?
Once your Waymo arrives, you press a button in the app to unlock the doors.
Then you press a button on the car door to open the doors.
I didn’t know that at first, so I kept pressing the ‘open doors’ button on my phone.
The app can open the doors automatically, too, when I approach, but I think I like pressing the button myself, ‘manually’.
What Is a Waymo Car?
A Waymo car is an electric robotaxi that drives itself.
Waymo has about 4,000 cars on the road in roughly 15 U.S. cities.
My San-Diego Waymo was the tall, boxy model, which feels like a tiny private train car.
I rode on a Waymo in Los Angeles and it was a more-sleek looking, BMW model in white, and that was nice, too.
How Does Waymo Work?
Computers inside the car do the driving, fed by sensors that see everything around it.
The little laser-radar (LIDAR) on top tells the car it is, within it’s local city-block area.
A screen on the back of the headrests also shows passengers what the car sees, live.
When something tricky comes up, a remote human helper can give the car advice, according to Waymo.
Waymo says the car stays in control of the driving the whole time, not the remote human helper.
What Is It Like to Ride in a Waymo?
I got buckled up, and the ride was perfect the whole way.
I watched it wait at a stoplight, and yield to a pedestrian.
A few minutes in, the screen asked me to rate the pickup spot, and I rated it “happy face”
The car shows “REC” while you ride, so assume it’s logging what you say and do.
I love the quiet inside the Waymo, and it’s really nice to have nobody in the car with me, not even a driver!
It even has a rubberized cup holder that fits decently-sized drinks, like those 20-oz cans of water.
Can You Work in a Waymo?
If you do computer work or any sort of job that involves communication, then ‘Yes;’, I think you can work in a Waymo.
I’m tall, and my feet still reach all the way out, with room to space, and I could have put my MacBook on my lap and worked for many hours, comfortably in my Waymo.
I think up to four people could fit in a Waymo, currently, with 3 in the back, and one in the passenger seat.
How Much Does a Waymo Cost?
My ride cost $11.68 for about 15 minutes, and that’s less than a dollar a minute.
There’s no tipping, because there’s no visible human to tip.
I’ve had three Waymo rides so far, and each has cost less than an equivalent Uber.
I’d pay $30 for a 30-minute ride of peace and calm; imagine when there are massaging seats in our Waymos 😀
Where Does Waymo Go in San Diego?
In San Diego, as of mid-September 2026, Waymo goes as far north as about Pacific Beach.
It doesn’t go any farther east than the I-15 freeway.
It goes pretty far down the coast, but it doesn’t go into Coronado.
That’s the coverage I can see in my Waymo app, and it’s possible that other riders might see less in their app.
Is Waymo Better?
“Don’t forget your phone, keys, or wallet,” the car told me, as I approached the drop-off point.
Waymo dropped me off right by my parked car, and I waved at it and said ‘thank you’ to whoever humans might have been helping my ride.
I would ride a Waymo everywhere if I could.
What Could Waymo Mean for the Future?
I think most cars will drive themselves someday, and that gives a lot of people time back.
Go try a Waymo for yourself when you get the chance, because that’s the only way to really make up your mind.