Most Angelenos Still Wary Of Driverless Cars, USC Survey Finds

LOS ANGELES, CA — Driverless ride-hailing services remain a niche form of transportation in Los Angeles County, and many residents remain skeptical about their safety, according to a USC survey released this week.

About 5% of county residents said they had used an autonomous ride-hailing service such as Waymo during the previous year, according to USC’s LABarometer survey. By comparison, 28% said they had used a traditional ride-hailing service such as Uber or Lyft.

Waymo is the only autonomous ride-hailing service operating in Los Angeles County, according to USC.

Younger residents and those with at least a bachelor’s degree were more likely to report using a driverless ride-hailing service, even after researchers accounted for household income and other demographic factors.

Residents gave driverless vehicles mixed safety ratings.

About 23% of respondents considered autonomous vehicles safe or very safe from harassment or crime, compared with 17% who said the same about Uber or Lyft. Only private vehicles received a higher rating.

However, just 9% considered autonomous vehicles safe or very safe from accidents or injuries. That was the lowest rating among the transportation options included in the survey.

Women reported a larger safety difference between driverless and driver-operated ride-hailing services. About 21% of women considered autonomous services safe from harassment or crime, compared with 13% who said the same about Uber or Lyft.

Among men, the difference was smaller: 25% considered autonomous services safe, compared with 23% for driver-operated services.

USC surveyed 1,280 Los Angeles County residents from Feb. 20 through May 10. LABarometer is managed by the Center for Economic and Social Research at the USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service.

The survey also revealed insight into entertainment workers' concerns about AI replacing them in the job market.