Waymo has been offering rides to the public since 2020 in geofenced areas of Phoenix, and more recently in Los Angeles. So this is nothing new, but I was very impressed with my first ride and how polished the experience felt. The app setup and onboarding was a breeze, and my ride was en route to my location within minutes. The benefits of getting a completely private ride can not be understated, it was like driving yourself to your destination in a busy urban area, but you don’t need to bother searching or paying for parking. Awesome!
It was fairly easy to get set up with Waymo. The app required that you login in with a Google account, because after all, Waymo is owned by Alphabet (Google). But ordering a ride is a very familiar experience to anyone who has ever used Uber. The only drawback to Waymo, in my brief experience is that it took 18 minutes for my ride to arrive, whereas an Uber was available within five minutes. But this problem will be solved with scale and density. Waymo has aggressive growth targets going into 2026.
Others online have complained that Waymos are more expensive than Ubers, because of the expensive Lidar-equipped vehicles and advanced technology. However, on the day of my ride in November 2025, both Wayno and Uber were around $12 for my ride inside of downtown Los Angeles.
The Waymo Ride Experience
The all electric Jaguar i-Pace showed up alongside the curb where the app said it would, and turned on its’ hazard lights. Once you approach the car with your phone, the app gives you a button to unlock the doors, making sure that only you can jump inside. The Jag rides on very chunky aftermarket tire sizes and small rims, and this contributes to a plush ride and help prevent curb rash damage. And since the i-Pace is no longer in production, we can expect Waymo to transition to Hyundai Ioniq 5s going forward.
Inside, you’ll find a rear facing screen with user controls. This is where you can put the ride in motion, and change climate/music settings along the way. The cabin was comfortable and clean, with a helpful robotic voice explaining what to expect along the ride. The multiple screens also show a virtual world visualization, similar to Tesla’s FSD visuals. This helps build trust with users as you can see what the Waymo can see.
The driving style of my Waymo can be described as mostly smooth and confident. We followed the speed limits exactly. Turning and braking was done very smoothly. But if I had any complaints, it would be with aggressive off the line starts from traffic lights. I think this could be tuned to be smoother. I don’t mind it driving quickly, but throwing my head backwards was a bit jarring.
Upon arrival, the Waymo found a safe place for me to exit, even though the sidewalk was blocked off at my destination. I was also given safety warning while exiting the vehicle, when the Waymo detected traffic approaching from behind. Waymos have been around for a few years now, and the level of polish really shows. I think they’re done an incredible job, and I’m looking forward to ordering Waymos instead of human driven Ubers everywhere they are offered.
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