Credits: Social Media
British woman gobsmacked by spooky driverless taxis in America
What would it take for you to feel safe in a driverless taxi? A welcome message appearing on the dashscreen might do it. Or what about the perfect playlist of songs to enjoy while you ride?�
The cultural gap between the UK and the US can take people by surprise, be it in the way we all make our evening cocoa, or how we go about taking part in the festival scene. Well, its cars too now. British TikToker Tallulah Thomas posted a video of her and her partner trying out a driverless Uber in San Francisco recently, calling it so spooky but ultimately recommending the experience to her followers.
Brit experiences San Franciscos driverless Ubers for the first time �so spooky
Posting under the username tallulahhthomas, aka Tally in Cali, Tallulah Thomas welcomed her followers to the future, by taking them with her on a journey through San Francisco in a driverless Uber taxi.
The first thing she notices is that you can personalize your car and set an ID so you know which one is coming to pick you up. She chooses GB, which stands for Great Britain.
Oh my god its here, its here! she exclaims as it pulls up. True enough, the drivers seat is empty. On the cars exterior, several cameras are visible. She and her partner hop in, and the car greets them with a welcome message on the dash screen.
Good afternoon, George, it says. Then comes the ride itself.
The car executes a turn across traffic, which impresses George. Oh, my gosh, he says, before praising the car: Well played, well played. Love that turn!
When the journey is over, Tallulah waves goodbye to the car. Then,�the duo film themselves walking along the sidewalk talking into the camera, offering a final evaluation of the driverless car experience offered by San Franciscos Uber network.
Extremely safe and good choice of music
Very safe, George says in the video. It has to be said.
Tallulah agrees, calling it extremely safe.
As it happens, San Francisco is the most common area for collisions involving driverless cars in California. The Chronicle has a map of those that took place before October 2023, with different colored dots to show which collision involved vehicles from which company (Uber, Waymo, etc.). As of October 2023, however, “none of these collisions have resulted in any deaths in California.”
Then George praises the cars good choice of music, and says there are loads of driverless taxis that sleep overnight in parking lots around the city, and honk their horns at each other.
Overall, Tallulah says, she would recommend the driverless car experience. However, she does overlay the words so spooky midway through the video, when the car is taking them through a smaller road, its steering wheel spinning this way and that, as if with a mind of its own.
Some of the comments reveal a hint of skepticism, from Brits and Americans alike. One suggests the cars arent driverless at all, but are driven by ghosts. Another wants to know what would happen if a passenger grabs the steering wheel.
Several have commented to say they would be reluctant to take a ride in a driverless car because of the anxiety it would induce in them: Its giving rollercoaster ride.
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