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Comment by baxtr | Hacker News Reader

Interesting. Very little about the underlying reasons for this.

Maybe it's driven by curiosity/awe for the new experience? Maybe being alone in the car makes a better ride?

I pay a premium for Waymos.

No need to tip, or even think about whether one should tip. The ride won’t cancel on me, which makes it more reliable. (Waymos are also more consistently clean.) I can take phone calls without worrying about my rider rating. And yeah, they’re more fun because they're novel.

Yeah, I’d happily pay a bit extra just to take tipping out of the equation entirely. Not having to worry about it is enough of a draw on its own. (I’m not a fan of tipping culture to begin with — especially with apps like Uber, where you’re also being rated, which adds even more pressure.)

Now if only Waymo were available in my area…

Ironically, Travis Kalanick felt the exact same way about tipping, and early marketing copy said something like "When you Uber, you never need to tip!" IIRC the drivers finally wore him down and they added a tipping feature shortly before he was forced out. Sad, as the no-tipping thing was one of the things I really liked about Uber when I first used it.

I dislike tipping culture too but the idea that you would pay more so you don't have to tip doesn't make any sense. Additionally you are paying more so you don't have to tip and the thing that enables that is the literal job a human would otherwise have is destroyed.

So bizarre. The levels people will go not to deal with any conflict, no matter how trivial it is...

I get what you're saying, but I think there's a misunderstanding. I would opt for something like Waymo, not because I'm trying to avoid people or conflict, but because I prefer a system where the pricing is clear and all-inclusive.

It's not that I don't want people to be paid. I just believe compensation should be built into the cost upfront, not tacked on afterward through a tipping system that creates unnecessary pressure, especially when ratings are involved.

This isn't about replacing people. It's about preferring a model that's transparent, predictable, and fair without making customers responsible for patching up systemic pay issues.

Everyone has their preferences—this is mine, and I'm comfortable with it.

The tip piece is interesting - that'd close a big chunk of the price gap, if people are tipping 10-20%

I do. Sometimes almost 50%. I also do dumb things like order an Uber Black because I wanted a nicer ride or an XL because I don’t want to be shoved in the back of a model 3 even with just 2 people.

The “consistently clean” part won’t last, that’s just because they’re new. In 2010 “they’re consistently clean” was an advantage of Ubers over yellow cabs, which of course is gone now. But I agree with the rest of this.

> The “consistently clean” part won’t last, that’s just because they’re new.

A fair bit of the unclean part of Ubers/Lyfts comes from the drivers: cigarettes, marijuana, food, perfume, air "fresheners", body odor.

Waymo's have internal cameras that can detect visible uncleanliness.

Easy to report and have accountability (to the previous rider) if there's a significant cleanliness problem (spilled food, vomit).

Next generation Zeekr vehicles (limited by tariffs right now) might be better designed for cleaning: better materials, fewer nooks and crannies, larger door openings.

My only experience with a dirty Waymo was smell. I reported it in app and got a message they recalled it to be cleaned.

I think the fact they can just take a car out of rotation and to the hub which probably has dedicated cleaning staff is a big reason it will last.

Your average uber driver is desperate to work. I’ve seen a driver open his trunk and clean up urine from a drunk female passenger he just dropped off in front of me and then just carry on with our ride like it was no big deal.

> My only experience with a dirty Waymo was smell.

Also a plus that you can roll down all the windows in a Waymo if you want to.

Last Lyft I was in, the driver had some sort on incense burning. He had window open, but this still made me feel sick.

Can't wait for Waymos to appear in my area.

What about driving safety ?

Very safe. They obey most traffic rules and don’t do stupid things. I have friends who commute in bike and say they feel safer with Waymo’s on the street. As a pedestrian, I appreciate them since I don’t worry it might run me over when I’m crossing the street.

Once every vehicle is a Waymo/autonomous, can we all jay-walk with impunity?

You won't get hit, yes.

But if this starts happening too much, I wonder if in the future, vehicles will start reporting jaywalking to police automatically, complete with video evidence and automated face id?

Jaywalking isn't a crime in California.

But it makes sense it being this way, doesn't it? I assume there are way fewer of Waymo taxis and the premium they provide is being able to ride privately at your own company. Also likely is that the riders might be more well off, part of them being tech-savvy, thus also leaning towards willing to ride an autonomous car.

"Lack of another person in the vehicle" is a feature. Don't have to interact with a person. No weed/cigarette smell. And so on. Also a computer may not drive as well as the best human but it will always drive much better than the worst human.

> "Lack of another person in the vehicle" is a feature.

I remember this came up for self-checkout at grocery stores. Personally I mildly prefer not interacting, for one friend this is a huge psychological difference, they are much more able to shop when it doesn't involve trying to talk to a human. It's not impossible anyway but you can see it's a real burden.

If I want to interact with a human there's no reason that should be a financial transaction. I can believe you would get a Waymo to a bar, hang out with friends (or even strangers) and then get a Waymo home, because you wanted the social interactions to be entirely separate from the financial transaction.

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