Philly’s Driverless Future Is Here, Whether We’re Ready or Not As Waymo taxis prepare to launch here, urgent questions about safety, jobs, and who this technology actually serves still need to be answered. Mamadu Barry — a 28-year-old structural engineer and part-time Uber driver — was behind the wheel this past February when he first spotted the future, tucked away in a parking lot in University City. It was a white Jaguar SUV, though not straight from the factory: This model had sensors protruding from the hood like bug eyes. The back windows were pitch black; the front ones were clear. Most distinctively, a 360-degree rotational apparatus was rigged to the roof, striking a passing resemblance to a baby-bottle nipple. Emblazoned on the side of the car, rather than the automaker’s name, was the name of the company responsible for gussying it up: Waymo. “I’m guessing they’re hiding them in there for now, getting ready to take over the world,” Barry said, when he spotted the vehicle. He’s not wrong. Waymo — the self-driving car company owned by Google parent Alphabet — has rapidly scaled up its conquests in the past year. Today, Waymo robotaxis are zipping around 10 cities, including Los Angeles and Austin, where they can be hailed via an app. In some places, you can simply order one through Uber. On a recent visit to Phoenix, where Waymo launched first, I shared the road with several driverless cars. I found their presence unsettling — the stuff of sci-fi — but my friend who lives in the city had actual horror stories, like the night a robotaxi erroneously dropped her off on the opposite side of town. And there was no stopping it. Ever since, that friend’s husband has been exacting a bit of humanist revenge: throwing wood