Waymo, the self-driving unit of Alphabet, says it will keep operating its fleet of roughly 600 self-driving taxis in Arizona during the novel coronavirus outbreak. But the safety drivers who monitor the autonomous taxis are concerned that they are being put in harm's way.
Waymo is "strongly encouraging" its full-time employees without "business critical" tasks to work from home. Its safety drivers, who are employed by a French transit company called Transdev North America that has a multiyear contract with Waymo, are still mostly required to come into work, The Verge has learned. Transdev appears to be following guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by stepping up the frequency of its cleanings and disinfections. But drivers tell The Verge that the Waymo vendor is ignoring recommendations about social distancing.
"It feels like the drivers are treated like second class citizens, having to report to work and serve 'hails' while the full-time employees are required to work from home to stay safe," said a Waymo driver who requested anonymity in order to speak freely. "Safety for some."
On Wednesday, a Waymo safety driver declined to pick up a rider at Intel's campus in Chandler, Arizona, after hearing news reports that an employee of the microchip giant had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Chandler is a town to the southeast of Phoenix where the bulk of Waymo's commercial ride-hailing is located.
Hours later, Transdev sent an email to all drivers mentioning the Intel incident and noting that Waymo and Transdev "are committed to responding quickly to ensure the health and safety of our employees."
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Waymo's robot minivans are ready to roll in the Bay Area for the first time since COVID-19 outbreak
Waymo's self-driving cars are returning to Bay Area roads for the first time since the company halted its public testing in early March because of the coronavirus outbreak. The Alphabet-owned company plans to return its fleet of autonomous minivans to service starting June 8th, according to an email obtained by The Verge.
Waymo's self-driving cars will be put to use delivering packages for two Bay Area non-profits: illustrator Wendy McNaughton's #DrawTogether, which provides art kits to Bay Area kids; and Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
The company is the latest autonomous vehicle operator to discover that doing deliveries allows it to sidestep restrictions that would otherwise require them to keep their autonomous vehicles off the road. Waymo, along with the rest of California's AV companies, paused on-road testing in mid-March after the city issued a "shelter-in-place" order banning all nonessential travel. That order does not have a set end date.
Waymo's robot minivans are already back on the road in the Phoenix area, as well as the company's private test facility in California's Central Valley.
Previously: Waymo Orders Thousands More Chrysler Pacifica Minivans for Driverless Fleet
Waymo Finally Let a Reporter Ride in a Fully Driverless Car
Waymo Drivers vs. Coronavirus
(Score: 5, Insightful) by darkfeline on Saturday March 14 2020, @09:35AM (2 children)
> "It feels like the drivers are treated like second class citizens, having to report to work and serve 'hails' while the full-time employees are required to work from home to stay safe," said a Waymo driver who requested anonymity in order to speak freely. "Safety for some."
The full-time employees are working from home because they can. If Waymo drivers could do their work from home, I'm sure they would be allowed to do so. The reason those that can work from home are required to do so is to protect those that can't work from home by minimizing the number of virus cultivation meatbags. Same as vaccines, those that can get vaccinated protect those that cannot.
Let's say that the full-time employees weren't encouraged to work from home. How would that benefit the driver? It wouldn't, at all.
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(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday March 14 2020, @10:58AM (1 child)
Too bad (real) driverless is arriving too late to be useful during the pandemic (even though you would want to disinfect the cars after each group of passengers uses it).
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(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 14 2020, @01:11PM
>> even though you would want to disinfect the cars after each group of passengers uses it
Twice, if they're Iranian.
(Score: 2) by Bot on Saturday March 14 2020, @10:17AM (3 children)
I guess the drivers have to be there by law, because technologically speaking they could be outside the vehicle controlling it remotely. It is more risky because it adds lag, but you can always go slower to compensate.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday March 14 2020, @10:29AM (2 children)
If they sat on the roof, there wouldn't be much lag. No passengers climb up there. Just install a "seat" belt to comply with the law. Or, sit in the trunk?
We're gonna be able to vacation in Gaza, Cuba, Venezuela, Iran and maybe Minnesota soon. Incredible times.
(Score: 2) by mhajicek on Saturday March 14 2020, @05:17PM
Just install a sealed partition between the front and back seats. Might need to mod the HVAC too.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 2) by dry on Sunday March 15 2020, @04:18AM
Reminds me of a Mr Bean episode where, IIRC, he bought a nice upholstered chair, put it on the roof of his mini, setup a rope to the steering wheel, broom sticks to the pedals (not sure how he shifted) and sat on his chair on the roof of his mini and drove home. Probably on YouTube.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 14 2020, @01:21PM
My money's on coronavirus.
(Score: 1) by Frosty Piss on Saturday March 14 2020, @06:16PM (4 children)
What’s the point of a “self driving” car with a “safety driver”?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 14 2020, @06:53PM
It's more like a human driven car with a safety 'self' (ie: a safety electronics system/computer or whatever you want to call it).
But for marketing purposes it's better to say it's the other way around.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 14 2020, @07:04PM
Helps the meatbag pay for food so it can stay alive.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday March 14 2020, @07:46PM
It's a beta test. There may even be a legal requirement involved in Arizona, I'd have to check.
Having a human in the driver's seat didn't stop Uber from killing a woman 2 years ago. Google/Waymo is likely more competent.
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(Score: 1) by paul_engr on Saturday March 14 2020, @08:15PM
Hint: level five autonomy per SAE definition is decades away from attainment by /anybody/. Period.