Waymo Level 4 Self-Driving Robotaxi Ride in Los Angeles

Tried Waymo’s Driverless Taxi in L.A.—Here’s How It Went

Hi everyone, Suzuki from Eco Drive.

I just took my first ride in Waymo’s fully autonomous taxi, and—honestly—it blew me away. Flawless from start to finish.

The videos embedded in this article are narrated in Japanese, but English subtitles are available.

What Is Waymo?

Waymo is the current heavyweight in the robotaxi world and operates under Alphabet, Google’s parent company.

The company ran pilot programs in Arizona and San Francisco before rolling into Los Angeles this past March—so the L.A. service is only about five months old at the time of my ride.

Service Area & How to Book

I downloaded the Waymo app a few months ago but sat on the wait-list until just recently.

For now, Waymo isn’t available everywhere in L.A.—the coverage zone is still limited.

Basically, the cars run a corridor that stretches from Santa Monica eastward to Downtown Los Angeles. If your pickup and drop-off both sit inside that footprint, you’re good to go; otherwise the app won’t let you book.

What the Ride Was Actually Like

I parked near Marina del Rey and decided to hail a Waymo for a quick test run.

Booking felt almost identical to Uber: open the phone app, drop a pin for your destination, done.

I picked a spot only about four miles away to keep things simple.

As soon as I set the destination, the app quoted the fare—$24 (roughly ¥3,500 at today’s rate).

Price-wise, it’s not a bargain; think Uber-level pricing rather than a budget option.

After you OK the fare, a “Request Ride” button pops up. Tap it, and the app shows your pickup ETA.

Mine said nine minutes—faster than I expected. The banner noted that waits can be “up to 90 minutes,” so nine felt impressively quick.

The Car & the Boarding Process

The Waymo arrived right on schedule. If you’ve seen one at night, you’ll recognize the look—lidar domes, camera pods, and sensors everywhere.

Watching a car pull up with no one inside is a truly surreal moment.

The fact that it’s an EV makes it even stranger; it glides in almost silently and stops dead on the curb.

Because I’d booked under the name “Tony,” the display on the door actually flashed TONY to confirm I had the right ride.

I wasn’t sure how to get the door open at first, but the app lets you unlock the car remotely.

Tap “Unlock,” the rear door swings out automatically, and you climb in.

Buckle up, hit “Start Ride” on the screen, and the car eases into traffic all on its own.

Ride Quality & On-Road Performance

The entire trip was hands-off and shockingly smooth.

Acceleration, braking, and lane changes all felt fluid—no jolts, no hesitation.

I drive a Tesla every day and use its Autopilot/FSD on my commute, so I’m pretty familiar with how consumer self-driving behaves.

Straight talk: Waymo’s ride was noticeably smoother than Tesla’s.

Tesla is impressive, but it still throws in the occasional hard launch or firmer-than-I’d-like brake tap; Waymo glided through every maneuver as if it had been chauffeuring for years.

Waymo vs. Tesla FSD: A Quick Head-to-Head

Waymo’s driving left me genuinely awestruck; I hadn’t realized autonomy had gotten this refined.

Our route even cut through a few side streets, and Waymo handled them beautifully.

Narrow lanes, pedestrians, cyclists, cars half-parked on the curb—Waymo slowed down, steered around each obstacle, and treated oncoming traffic with courtesy, nudging over to let the other driver pass.

I’ll admit I felt a little nervous at first, but after watching these crisp, human-like maneuvers, I relaxed and let the system do its thing.

Two Clear Perks from the Rider’s Seat

Two advantages jumped out at me right away.

1. Total privacy.

With no driver up front, you don’t have to censor your conversation.

2. No tipping.

Ride-shares like Uber tack on a 15–20 % tip almost by default—often $10 or more per ride.

Waymo is a true driverless service, so there’s no one to tip. The fare you see in the app is exactly what you pay, and payment is handled automatically. Pull up to your stop, hop out, and you’re done—no extra fees, no awkward “Add a tip?” screen.

Looking Ahead: Cost and Market Impact

Let’s talk about where this could go next.

(What follows is partly my own speculation.)

First, the fare: my 4-mile ride—about 7 km—came to $24.

Even without a driver to pay, that’s hardly cheap.

I see today’s pricing as “early-adopter” territory—aimed at people like me who love trying new tech.

But once driverless fleets scale and rivals jump in, one researcher predicts prices could drop to roughly one-seventh of current taxi rates.

If true, that would make robotaxis a game-changer for everyday transportation.

Running the Numbers

Let’s put some quick math to that price drop.

My 7-km (≈ 4-mile) ride cost $24, but cut that to one-seventh and you’re looking at roughly $3—about ¥400—for the same distance.

Say you live 4 miles from work: your daily commute would cost just $3 each way.

That’s $6 round-trip, or about $180 a month if you rode every single day.

At that price point, a lot of people might decide car ownership just isn’t worth it.

Car-Ownership Costs vs. a Robotaxi Ride

Owning a car means budgeting for all of this:

• Hefty up-front purchase price or a monthly lease payment
• Auto-insurance premiums
• Routine maintenance (oil, tires, brakes)
• Unexpected repairs when something breaks
• Scheduled inspections or smog checks

And that’s just the start.

You also have to factor in:

• Yearly registration and road taxes
• Depreciation—the car loses value every day
• Parking fees or a dedicated space at home

Put it all together and car ownership is a pricey habit.

Robotaxis Open Up a Whole New Playbook

With a service like Waymo, a tap on your phone brings a ride to your curb in under ten minutes—no keys, no parking, no hassle.

Once that convenience is everywhere, owning a private car may start to feel optional.

Picture a household that keeps one minivan for weekend getaways, while the daily school run and office commute happen entirely by robotaxi.

The mix-and-match possibilities could change how families budget, how cities plan parking, and how often we even think about driving ourselves.

How Subscription Robotaxis Could Reshape Everyday Life

I wouldn’t be surprised if robotaxi services end up moving to a subscription model.

Imagine options like:

• $200 a month for a set mileage cap
• Flat-rate “all-you-can-ride” plans for unlimited trips

That changes what you can do with your travel time:

• Business pros firing off emails on the way to meetings
• Movie buffs streaming a film during the commute
• Students logging game time en route to class

When you never have to touch the steering wheel, freeing up drive time for work or fun, owning a car may start to feel optional.

Industry Disruption & How We Can Prepare

If robotaxis take off, demand for privately owned cars could plummet.

That would put many traditional dealerships at serious risk of going under.

Of course, we’ll need new laws and regulations first, so this shift won’t happen overnight. Still, it’s a change that could arrive sooner than most people think.

A shake-up on that scale would have massive implications for our own business, too.

The key is to anticipate what’s coming—so we can adapt our business model bit by bit and spot the next wave of opportunities before they break.

Wrapping Up

The best way to spot tomorrow’s opportunities is to experience the future as early as you can.

If you’re in the U.S., download the Waymo app, jump on the wait-list, and give the service a try the first chance you get.

For readers in Japan—or anywhere else—consider adding a Waymo ride to your itinerary the next time you visit the States.

Even a short trip offers a rare, first-hand glimpse of what mobility might look like in the near future.