Cars often keep people poor. Waymo could help.
The poorest fifth of American families spend 38% of their income on a car. The breakdowns and road deaths that fall hardest on them are just the cost of getting by. Self-driving cars can change that.
“Reliable transportation required” is one of the most common lines in low-wage job ads. You see it in Craigslist job ads for cleaning and day labor. Screenshots from Craiglist job ads. People get stuck in low-wage work for a variety of reasons, often a lack of transportation. In much of the U.S., a bus is not reliable transportation. It often doesn’t show up, or it shows up late. A car is only reliable if it runs. When my brother’s car broke down, he lost his job at Red Lobster. He couldn’t get there consistently, so they let him go. He needed the job to fix the car. That car is both…
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