Waymo is not doing any carpooling optimizations. They're right now a luxury service that is priced above the normal Uber ride prices.
This will obviously change in future, once they start a truly mass rollout.
This will obviously change in future, once they start a truly mass rollout.
We're not willing to enforce basic safety on buses, let alone other norms. If Waymo is willing to do that, that will make it available to many more people. Even just not having to wait at the bus stop before sunrise can be a game changer.
It's not that people refuse to ride busses. In most places in the US this is either a non-existent or extremely impractical option. It's just reality.
And remember, the alternative is even worse: buses.