San Francisco ride-hail drivers are about to share the roads with robot competitors. They say that the self-driving cabs need to work on their traffic skills—and watch out for bodily fluids.
. A ride-hail driver who goes by Michael because he fears retaliation from ride-hail platforms recalls navigating the city during a spate of gusty storms earlier this year that shattered windows in office towers and brought robotaxis to a standstill. He remembers maneuvering around a tree that had fallen in the road, while an autonomous vehicle sat there, bewildered.
Some drivers say their experiences with other human drivers have them more excited about the age of robotaxis. Last year a person rear-ended ride-hail driver Sam Gormus, and he missed out on four weeks of earnings while waiting for a replacement bumper to arrive. He feels more comfortable seeing camera- and sensor-studded AVs than cars with humans at the wheel, sitting at green lights on their phones. “If I was the only human driver in the traffic, I wouldn't be this frustrated,” he says.
Other drivers doubt most passengers will even notice the difference between the old and new cars. “Most people want to come in and stare at their phones,” says Gabe Ets-Hokin. “They treat me like I'm a robot anyway.”
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