Zachariah Emett – April 21, 2026. On my recent vacation to San Francisco, my first time visiting, I tried a Waymo in San Francisco for the first time, their lineup of driverless taxis.
These taxis are completely self driving, and are designed to compete with Uber, Lyft and other rideshare operators, while using new high tech and AI technology.
Anyway, time to get to my experience of using Waymo in San Francisco for the first time. I ordered a Waymo to pick me up from my hotel in Chinatown to drop me off at Fort Point. Fort Point is a well known Golden Gate Bridge viewpoint and old fortress on the side of the bay. Having arrived earlier that day from Auckland, and didn’t want to have an intense, tiring evening. I believed this would be the best way to spend my afternoon. For years, I had been wanting to see the Golden Gate Bridge. This was possibly due to playing video games such as Lego City Undercover based in the San Francisco Bay area. Or perhaps it had been due to my love for the Stephen Curry led warriors, who I started watching at 7 years old, and up until this day is my favorite player.
The Experience: Waymo in San Francisco for the first time.
When the Waymo arrived, the app allowed me to unlock the car door using a button. It was easy to recognize which vehicle was mine. The car read ZA on the top of the car, indicating the first two letters of my name. As I unlocked the vehicle I was welcomed by the AI saying hello using my name (which was used in my Waymo account). It was a nice way to start my journey, easily accessible and non stressful.
At first, I was shocked and excited at how the vehicle just drove off from the pick up point at the side of the road. It was a rocky start to the drive, as we instantly began one of the notorious San Francisco hill climbs. Despite driving up a hill, the car was extremely alert to surrounding vehicles. It immediately felt safer than the usual driver led car. It knew exactly when to stop, start and kept safe following distances.
Onto the next thing, as i was recording the vlog of me riding in the driverless car I realized music was playing. I only realized that it was playing off my Spotify after I had gone quiet from my previous excitement. I didn’t remember setting this up, but must’ve months before I arrived through the app. You could adjust the volume on your app or on the screen in with the back seats. I put on some of my favorite rap songs, starting with Drake, followed by California Love and some Fetty Wap.
Arrival to the Golden Gate Bridge
By then, I was driving through the Presidio, which was such a beautiful drive. I did not expect for the park to be that massive, and for there to be many environments in the one park. At first it felt I was driving through a National Park, then I started driving through a neighborhood of different houses called Main Post. The unique housing was one of the things I loved most about the city of San Francisco, as it gave the city such a nice vibe.
Anyways, after we drove through Main Post (or just myself), I was on my way to Fort Point, which caused the ride to go from being in the woods essentially, to a waterfront view of the Bay. The bridge appeared in the distance, which surprised me to how gigantic it actually is in person. Many tourist spots are overhyped on social media, or simply through popularity amongst travelers. This however, was genuinely one of those engineering marvels of the world.
As I arrived, the car came to a stop, and the Waymo built in AI talked to me to let me know my ride was over. As I got out I walked towards the Fort and Golden Gate Bridge, while watching the car drive off seamlessly. A couple were watching as they waited for their Uber Rideshare. They were amazed seeing the car drop me off and then drive off without issue. They joked with me wishing they had selected a Waymo instead, but they believed it was way more expensive.
Pricing
While costing more at $20.44 USD for a 25 minute ride, an Uber back from the Fort cost $17.96 USD. For the experience of being in a driverless taxi, an experience you can’t get in many cities in the world, I would say the extra money is worth it. For the extra couple of dollars you get peace of mind to do whatever. You can make calls, film, or even do some carpool karaoke without a stranger listening to your conversation.
Review
This was an experience I loved so much, and would do again. Although many would find it scary, it has been proven to be significantly safer than being in a regular driven vehicle. I advocate for more driverless vehicles. It is such a unique experience and one i became addicted to whilst in San Francisco. It is something i will while being in New Zealand, and missed it while being in NYC, Vancouver and Toronto. Hopefully one day in the near future we have such things..
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