Sponsor MessageBecome a KQED sponsor
upper waypoint

Waymos – Both Popular and Polarizing – Expand to San Jose and Bay Area Highways

Save ArticleSave Article
Failed to save article

Please try again

A Waymo autonomous vehicle drives through 16th Street and Potrero in San Francisco on July 22, 2025. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)

Airdate: Thursday, November 13 at 9 AM

When Waymo robotaxis first rolled out onto San Francisco streets in 2021, people were skeptical. But less than five years later, Waymos are popular – a new poll finds local support at 67% –  though still polarizing. A San Francisco Supervisor is advocating to allow counties to decide whether they are allowed on their roads. As Waymo extends their service this week to San Jose and Bay Area highways, we’ll talk with those for and against Waymo expansion. And we’ll look at the future of autonomous vehicles as new competition looks to enter the market.

Guests:

Jackie Fielder, District 9 supervisor, San Francisco

William (Billy) Riggs, professor, University of San Francisco School of Management

Rya Jetha, tech culture reporter, SF Standard

Sponsored

lower waypoint
next waypoint
Player sponsored by