The manual control should be easily accessed by the passengers. Will Waymo even allow people to sit in the front seat at the wheel and allow them to control it whenever they want?
Regulatory arbitrage.
Also if the car is really broken down, as in doesn't start, you can get into the front seat and steer + push like a normal car, or emergency services can do that after an accident and so on. Likewise if the sensor system fails this provides a cheaper method than calling a tow truck to move it back to their shop.
In normal situations where manual intervention is required, I believe the plan is to have a Waymo employee drive it remotely, not have the passengers drive it. Apart from the obvious business reasons for this (partially discussed below, also insurance), this should mean that you don't even know how to drive to use one of these cars, which is a clear advantage.
> Will Waymo even allow people to sit in the front seat at the wheel and allow them to control it whenever they want?
Why the hell would they do that? The whole purpose of this vehicle is self driving car research, they don't get anything out of letting you drive it, so they'd just be providing you a free car.
Hah, my thoughts exactly. Besides, when was the last time you jumped in a taxi and told the taxi driver the let you drive? Is that even a thing people do anywhere in the world?
What if the car doesn't have a network connection for whatever reason?
But if doesn't have a network connection, and manual intervention is required, that's just like the "sensor failed" case except you might have to rely on the passengers contacting waymo to tell them where the car is. Which they'll be motivated too since they are somewhat stranded.
There is no need for a passenger to take manual control. If the car or the self driving system has a problem. The car will pull over and another Waymo self driving call will arrive to allow you to complete your journey.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/cars-that-think/transportation/sel...
So if a (perhaps malicious) environmental configuration consistently causes Waymo cars to fail, you’ll just collect an ever-increasing number of them at that point?
As far as front seats are concerned, why even have a front seat? Have people sit in a circle facing each other, with a table in the middle - so you can have a conversation. Not having a wheel allows us to reimagine the interiors of cars which are currently built around the driver.
If you sent your seven-year-old to baseball practice in your self-driving car, or you got wasted at a party, you're better off if the car stops and calls for help than letting someone incompetent try to take over.