In the tech world, events like this are often called “edge cases,” meaning they’re rare but possible. Still, a single failure shouldn’t be able to jam up transportation - or interfere with emergency services - in a city of roughly 800,000 people. New Year’s Eve will likely be the next big stress test. When parties wind down and bars close, many people will be heading home at the same time, and a lot of intoxicated riders - especially women who prefer not to ride alone with a stranger - may see Waymo as the safer option.
The Bay Area remains Waymo’s core market, with about 1,000 vehicles now operating across roughly 260 square miles - double the fleet size it had around last New Year’s Eve. Nighttime price checks show that the service can be significantly more expensive than human-driven ride-hailing: where Uber and Lyft quoted under $20 for the same trip, Waymo’s price exceeded $50. While not typical, surges like that across all platforms are common on New Year’s due to demand.
Waymo says its surge pricing has limits and that in periods of very high demand, users may simply see “no cars available.” Unlike Uber or Lyft, Waymo can’t rapidly add supply because it has a fixed number of vehicles, so its options are mainly to raise prices, redistribute cars to busy areas, or decline rides. Human-driver platforms, by contrast, can attract more drivers with higher prices, which eventually pushes fares back down.
These dynamics can create an unintended “pink tax.” If driverless rides feel safer, women may be more likely than men to pay the premium, even if the company isn’t explicitly charging them more.
Uber and Lyft have been trying to narrow this safety gap by allowing riders to prefer female drivers (and vice versa), and Lyft’s Women+ Connect also includes nonbinary users. Female drivers often report that these options matter to them as well, especially when working late nights with intoxicated passengers.
Waymo vehicles are heavily instrumented, recording activity from many angles with cameras and sensors. That pervasive recording - combined with remote assistance - can discourage harassment or worse, since incidents are more easily documented.
How Waymo could reduce the “pink tax” effect
If Waymo wanted to address this perception and pricing problem, several product and operations moves could help:
- Set a strict maximum fare to avoid viral examples of extreme pricing
- Stage vehicles ahead of time near nightlife districts just before closing hours
- Allow riders to lock in a guaranteed fare if they’re willing to wait longer
- Use on-the-ground promotions and targeted discounts to better balance demand
The biggest risk to the company may not be collisions, but customer frustration with pricing and availability - problems ride-hailing users first experienced more than a decade ago during extreme New Year’s surges. If a company finds itself explaining market economics to angry riders, it has usually already lost the PR battle.
General New Year’s Eve ride safety tips
No matter which service you use:
- Wait in bright, well-lit areas
- Make sure no unexpected passengers are already in the vehicle
For human-driven rides specifically:
- Confirm the license plate and driver identity match the app
- Check whether child locks are engaged before closing the door
- Share your trip status with a trusted friend or family member
Being deliberate and aware helps - whether you’re in a robotaxi or a car with a human behind the wheel
Newer Articles
- High Price and Low Demand Stall Apple’s Vision Pro Ambitions
- Galaxy S26 Ultra May Gain New Pro-Level Camera Controls Despite Familiar Hardware
- 🇻🇪 Venezuela and U.S. Military Operation
