How to use Waymo to get around San Francisco! February 17, 2026

Mentioned in this episode:

• Mr. Blue Sky sung by Jeff Lynne's ELO
• Waymo - download the app, and try it out!  This is NOT a paid anything, by the way.  

Check out past episodes of this podcast at the To Do San Francisco podcast archive.

©2026 Sublime Experiences LLC. ℗2026 Sublime Experiences LLC. All rights reserved.

Transcript

Jamie Whitaker 0:17

Happy Tuesday. This is Jamie, and you're listening to the To Do San Francisco podcast for February 17, 2026. Song in my mind this Tuesday is Jeff Lynn's ELO, which stands for Electric Light Orchestra, performing Mr Blue Sky. A very uplifting tune, if I do say so myself. I have a link to the music video on YouTube in the show notes. If Monday was about shaking off the cobwebs, Tuesday is about finding your speed. You're already into the rhythm of the week, and you are doing a phenomenal job. Seriously. Take a second to realize how much you've already handled. You're smart, you're capable, and you've got a unique perspective that this city needs. Whatever big to do is on your list today, approach it with the confidence of someone who just found a parking spot in Hayes Valley on the first try. You've got this. Today we're talking about the ghost riders of San Francisco. Waymo. Do you know Waymo? By now you've seen those white Jaguar SUVs with the spinning sensors all over town. But if you haven't taken the plunge yet, here's the 2026 Field Guide. How to start? It's simple. Download the Waymo One app. In 2026, the wait list is largely a thing of the past for San Francisco locals. Just input your info, link a credit card, and you're ready to summon a robot taxi. When the car pulls up, you unlock it with your phone. Once inside, you're the boss. There's a screen to start the ride, adjust the air conditioning, and my favorite part, control the music. No awkward small talk about the weather or how long you've been driving for the app. What's the pricing like, you might ask? Waymo versus Uber and Lyft. Waymo's base price is often about ten to fifteen percent higher than a standard Uber X. However, you don't tip a robot. Once you factor in a twenty percent tip for a human driver, Waymo often ends up being about the same, and a more predictable option. Compared to taxis, cabs are still your best bet for the hail and go downtown, but Waymo wins on transparency. You know the price before you close the door. There are pros and cons of taking a Waymo robot taxi. Pros: consistency. The car is almost always clean, the driving is incredibly chill, it won't drag race a Tesla at a stoplight, and the privacy is unmatched. They can be cautious to a fault. A Waymo might take slightly longer, safer route rather than a shortcut through a narrow alley or speeding past other drivers. Also, if you have five heavy bags, there's no driver to help you with the trunk. If you're not ready to let an artificial intelligence software driven car take the wheel, or if you just want to save your cash for a $7 latte, don't forget that Clipper Card is your best friend for taking public transit. If you have an iPhone or Android smartphone, adding Clipper to your device's wallet is the easiest way to get on board. As of the next gen software update late last year, you don't even need a clipper card anymore. You can just tap your contactless Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express credit card or phone on any Muni or BART gate. It's the ultimate backup for getting across town without the surge pricing. Today's civility tip when your Waymo arrives, try to meet it in a spot where it can actually pull over safely and get out of the way of other vehicles. Don't force the robot to double park on a narrow street and block a muni bus just because you didn't want to walk twenty feet. And for the love of Sutro Tower, keep the car clean. Just because there isn't a human driver staring at you in the rearview mirror doesn't mean it's okay to leave your empty Dutch crunch wrapper in the door handle. Treat the robot with the same respect you'd show a friend's car. Maybe even better. If you get in a Waymo with someone else's mess, press the button on the screen to contact support to let them know the car needs to be brought in for a cleanup. My experience, I actually got a free ride and a five dollar credit for doing so. Not to say that's a guaranteed outcome, but you'll feel better saving the next passenger from experiencing the mess, no less. I don't know about you, but I love to let someone else take the wheel and get me where I need to go. Embrace the future and enjoy the ride. Thanks for listening, San Francisco.