Many people who frequently use rideshare services like Uber or Lyft can attest that their experiences using the apps are a coin flip every single time they request a ride. This is especially true for vulnerable populations,
Between the time when any rideshare user hops in the motor vehicle and when she arrives at their destination, she is entrusting themselves and her safety to a complete stranger, where anything can happen.
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On a recent episode of her Sweet and Sour podcast, Twitch superstar and social media influencer Imane Anys (better known as Pokimane), recounted a story about a recent ride using Lyft during which she was subjected to unwarranted advances from the driver that made her uncomfortable.
While discussing the situation with her Twitch compatriot and co-host Lily Ki (better known as LilyPichu), Anys emphasized that being in such a situation can create unwarranted stress because of the specific circumstances placed at that moment.
"The thing is, if someone is literally in charge of the motor vehicle that you're in and technically your life is in their hands, you don't really feel like rejecting [the driver's advances]," Anys said. "You just don't know how someone might react."
Tech-adopting parents' have a creative solution
These sorts of situations are the stuff of nightmares for many parents — especially those who trust their teenagers with autonomy and independence.
Controversially, some Phoenix-area parents appear to be disobeying rules and turning to one potentially risky solution.
According to a recent report by AZFamily (KTVK/KPHO), parents have been shuttling their kids by themselves to and from school and other activities in Waymo's autonomous cars purely because there isn't a human driver to talk or interact with them.
But while some parents shun the idea of their kids getting into a car with no driver, Phoenix resident Matt told AZFamily that he is all for it, going as far as to say that he trusts it with his own family because of what he has heard happens with Uber passengers and drivers. As school-aged children often have multiple after-school activities, he notes that Waymo's driverless nature allows kids to forgo the risks of stranger danger.
“I have a little sister. She’s 15. I know kids have been using Waymo over Uber, which I think is a good thing,” he told AZ Family. “I have heard many times of even adults, females especially, getting into an Uber car and having to have that experience — I don’t want to say creepy — but a creepy or uncomfortable experience.”
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Unlike Waymo, Uber has a specific program designed for busy parents to shuttle their teenagers. The Uber Teen program has additional features in the application, allowing parents to track the cars their teenagers get inside in real time and providing them with constant updates on their location.
Additionally, Uber Teen prevents drivers from making changes to their destination and can even remotely enable the microphones on drivers' phones to allow parents to listen in on what's happening inside the car. Additionally, if they suspect they are in danger, teens on the Uber Teen account can call the police or emergency services through the app.
In a statement to AZFamily, Waymo clarified that passengers under 18 aren’t allowed in its cars unaccompanied. The company went on to say that if it finds parents are using their account to hail rides for their underage children, it can cancel their account.
Waymo also told the outlet that it is exploring the idea of a teenage program.
Waymo's grand $5.6B payday
This trend among tech-savvy parents is developing while Waymo gathers its stepping stones toward expansion. On October 25, Waymo announced it had closed a funding round that raised at total of $5.6 billion for the autonomous driving platform.
Approximately $600 million of that total was raised by participants including Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity, Perry Creek, Silver Lake, Tiger Global, and T. Rowe Price. The additional moneies come just months after Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat said the company would commit to a multiyear investment of up to $5 billion in the firm.
In its statement, Waymo says the fresh cash injection will be used to expand the platform's footprint in the areas it currently serves and develop its AI-powered autonomous driving system for business use.
“With this latest investment, we will continue to welcome more riders into our Waymo One ride-hailing service in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles, and in Austin and Atlanta through our expanded partnership with Uber,” Waymo co-CEOs Tekedra Mawakana and Dmitri Dolgov wrote on their blog.
Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company, is traded on the NASDAQ as GOOGL. It is up 1.57% from the opening bell and is trading at $165.27 at the time of writing.
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