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City Times staffers climbed into an Uber in San Francisco on a recent trip to the Bay Area for a media conference, taking the opportunity to do some reporting on the side.
No sooner had Waymos been brought up by journalist Samira Hassan did the driver, Sandy Hui, share her straightforward opinion on the autonomous robocars sharing the road with her.
“Oh, I don’t like them,” she said.
Waymo made its debut in San Francisco in November 2024 as the first fully public autonomous robotaxi, shaking up the existing rideshare industry.
To see what it was like, the City Times reporters ventured to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge in the self-driving Waymo.
The autonomous car traveled throughout the city of San Francisco, sporting a bright white exterior of a Jaguar I-PACE with the addition of a black leather interior, controlled climate and choice of personal music selection.
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While passing dozens of people enjoying picnics, going on runs or walking around with friends, when they looked at the driver’s seat of their Waymo, there wasn’t a person to be found.
Two years into its operation, Waymo cars have arrived in 10 cities in the United States with plans for the service to expand into San Diego in mid-2026.
A set release date or official service area have not yet been released, explained Mark Lewis, Waymo’s public relations manager, in an email to City Times.
“We are still laying the groundwork for our expansion (in San Diego),” Lewis said. “We haven’t set a launch date yet, but when we do, we’ll release our service area map.”
With the future of self-driving cars in San Diego in Waymo’s hands, some San Diegans welcome the change with open arms.
In April 2025, the San Diego City Council adopted the Mobility Master Plan that aims for accessible transport throughout the county with autonomous cars being included within that according to City spokesperson Peter Kelly in an email.
“Accommodating autonomous and connected vehicle infrastructure and operations as these services are tested and deployed throughout the City,” Kelly said.
The city aims to accommodate self-driving cars like Waymo by giving them access to dedicated lanes throughout San Diego that buses and shuttles are able to use on highways and streets.
The use of the lanes for the cars will allow for efficiency in transport and safer movement throughout the roads.
Stephanie Hollister, an instructor at City College, believes the car has the potential to be an alternative transportation method for women to be safer.
“As a female maybe it is a little bit safer than taking an Uber or Lyft,” Hollister said. “Because, you know, some stuff has happened where women have gotten assaulted (in Ubers or Lyfts).”
As of July 2025, there had been 2,369 reported sexual assault pending lawsuits against Uber with women being the main target in the United States, according to a report from Chaikin Trial Group.
Although safety and accessibility are embraced by some San Diegans, others fear job insecurity and the impact Waymo will have on the rideshare industry in the city.
As seen in San Francisco Uber’s sales fell by 11% and Lyft’s decreased 12% by the end of 2024, a month after Waymo’s release, according to Mario Herger, a technology trend researcher.
Mikuel Al Hussein, the Executive Director for the United Taxi Workers of San Diego, worried Waymo would bring competition that would take away work from people who need it.
“That’s a machine, you know,” Hussein said in a public comment at a Board of Directors meeting. “It doesn’t need gas, it doesn’t need anything and it doesn’t get tired. That’s a lot of unfair competition. Everybody knows that.”
At the Jan. 15 meeting, a 12-1 vote to get regulation for the expansion of autonomous cars to San Diego, proposed by San Diego’s Metropolitan Transit System.
In San Francisco, Hui admits defeat to Waymo, knowing there isn’t anything to do about their expansion and the effect it will have on her and other drivers’ jobs.
“You can’t do much about it, because that’s just how it is gonna be, right?” Hui said. “They’re gonna have more of those Waymos out, and they’re probably gonna have (self-driving cars) from different companies like Uber.”
To Chris Ippolito and his friends, locals from San Francisco, they worry about the individual people affected by the introduction of Waymo.
“Who’s getting paid for Waymo?” Ippolito said while eating at a local ramen spot in Chinatown. “These CEOs and people that probably already have enough money as it is? At least with Uber, it’s a person who’s either living around the bay or commuting to the bay.”
Despite San Diego transit official opposition, San Diego mayor Todd Gloria shares support of the autonomous expansion.
“(We are) welcoming innovative and promising technologies like Waymo’s autonomous vehicle,” Gloria said in a statement posted on Waymo’s website. “We’re exploring how to make transportation more accessible, more sustainable, and more connected for everyone in our community.”
The statement does not address the main issue of job security for existing drivers, a large concern for San Diegans.
As the group of friends finished up their Ramen in San Francisco, Ippolito admitted that even though he wasn’t a fan, he believed autonomous cars would become the future for his city.
It will also be something people all over, including here in San Diego, will eventually come to accept.
“Even when Uber (was introduced) people didn’t like it,” Ippolito said. “(Ubers) took over taxis and then taxis stopped being a thing. So I feel like this will pass.
“People are gonna start using Waymo, regardless. Doesn’t matter. People will end up forgetting about (other rideshares) anyways.”
Co-News Editor Samira Hassan contributed to this report.
This story was edited by Nadia Lavin and Itzel Martinez.
