Source: The Verge
Summary
Washington, D.C. has become a battleground for Uber and Waymo’s competing views on self-driving cars. According to reports, Uber is launching a new self-driving taxi service in the city, while Waymo is expanding its own autonomous vehicle testing. The two companies are taking different approaches to deploying autonomous vehicles, with Uber focusing on ride-hailing and Waymo testing a broader range of use cases.
Our Reading
The launch follows a familiar script.
Uber is rolling out self-driving taxis in Washington, D.C., because apparently we needed another beta test on public roads. Waymo is also testing its own autonomous vehicles in the city, because who doesn’t love a good turf war? Meanwhile, we’re still waiting for the “revolution” in transportation that was promised years ago. The real innovation here is that we get to pay for the privilege of being test subjects. Again.
