- Indian woman in San Francisco took her parents on a 15-minute Waymo autonomous car ride
- Waymo cars use sensors, cameras, radar, and AI to navigate without human drivers
- Ride-hailing service operates in five US cities and offers rides via app and Uber
An Indian woman living in San Francisco has introduced her parents to an autonomous car. Apurva Bendre, a dancer, shared a video showing her parents seated in the back of the driverless vehicle, smiling as they enjoyed the ride.
She said their first trip in the Waymo-operated car lasted 15 minutes. They then booked another ride to extend the experience.
Waymo cars are self-driving vehicles developed by Waymo LLC, a subsidiary of Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc. They operate using sensors, cameras, radar, and artificial intelligence to navigate without a human driver.
On Instagram, Ms Bendre wrote, "Took my parents for a ride in a Waymo, a driverless car in San Francisco, and wow, what an experience. It felt safe, smooth, and honestly more trustworthy than a manual driver. Our first 15-minute ride wasn't enough, so we booked another one right after. My parents had a lot to say about the whole thing."
The clip went viral in no time.
Waymo commented, "A generational trip."
A user wrote, "They must be absolutely thrilled with this experience!"
Another said, "So fun! What was their reaction?"
Someone joked, "If the car is driverless, then why it has steering wheel."
In a follow-up clip, she filmed herself sitting between her parents in the backseat. At one point, she asked the car to "drive fast" and then turned the camera to the empty driver's seat. "Drivers these days," the overlay text read.
She wrote in the caption, "Modern solutions create modern problems."
Waymo's autonomous ride-hailing service is currently operational in Phoenix, San Francisco (including parts of Silicon Valley), Los Angeles, Austin, and Atlanta, with rides available either directly through the Waymo app or via Uber partnerships.
The company is preparing to expand to Miami and Washington, DC by 2026, while also conducting mapping and testing in San Diego, Las Vegas, Houston, Dallas, Orlando, and Philadelphia.
Waymo has begun mapping in Tokyo in collaboration with local taxi operators, though full driverless services have not yet launched there.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
