CINCINNATI — Waymo, the self-driving taxi service, is in Cincinnati this week, and it's leaving some people with major questions.
We first spotted the cars parked at the Oakley Cinemark on Tuesday afternoon. The company tells us it's here to create a high-definition map of the city. The company said the cars are being driven manually.
The company said it's only in the city to map the area and will leave when the project is complete, but some people believe it's the first step to launching in the Queen City.
For Stephen Hoffman, a local Lyft driver, that idea isn't sitting well.
“I wouldn’t want to be driven by something like that nobody has any control over," Hoffman said.
WATCH: Hear why there are mixed feelings about Waymo possibly coming to Cincinnati:
Hoffman questions if Waymo could put drivers for Uber or Lyft out of jobs.
“You take all these jobs that you’re losing — single moms, single dads, parents, you’re taking income away," Hoffman said.
Hoffman also said he worries about how the cars would navigate the city. He said he believes it could be a safety issue.
“We’re still dealing with new bridges being built; traffic is still crazy," Hoffman said. "What are you going to do with these things? They don’t know how to get around it.”
However, according to research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Waymo cars have "lower crash involvement rates than human drivers".
According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Waymo has recorded a little more than 2,200 crashes involving its vehicles since August 2021.
Munir Nazzal, a professor of engineering at the University of Cincinnati, said Waymo can make a positive impact on the city.
“We will see a lot of advantage in terms of reduction of cost and also in terms of mobility and improving mobility on our roads," Nazzal said.
Nazzal studies autonomous vehicles and believes Waymo can benefit the local economy.
He said most Waymo cars are safe, but he admits the technology isn't perfect.
“The problem is, if there is like an object that is not clear what it is, it might be stopping while a human might not stop for that object," Nazzal said.
Nazzal said he expects the technology to keep improving.
According to the company's website, Waymo is currently operating in 14 cities across the country. Of the 18 cities listed as "up next," Cincinnati is not listed.
