Rideshare cars are back on Market St. But it's not all smooth hailing

For the first time since 2020, Market St. is open to Waymos and select Uber and Lyft service vehicles for specific hours. 

But can you actually get a straight-shot ride along the route? I became a ride-hailing guinea pig to find out.

On Wednesday, I took two Waymos, two Uber Blacks, and a Lyft Black ride, which are allowed to ferry passengers down the thoroughfare that had been off limits to cars (except taxis). That’s thanks to a new program launched Tuesday by Mayor Daniel Lurie. 

Under the plan, people can meet rides at seven designated locations outside of rush hour.

But as I learned firsthand, Waymos and some human ride-share drivers still prefer not to take the road less traveled. I often had to walk blocks to meet cars, and many avoided Market St. entirely. Some services suggested drop-off locations that are known to be dangerous at night.

My robotaxi rides were the worst experience of the bunch.

At 8:45 p.m. Wednesday at Eighth & Market, I summoned my first Waymo. Instead of the city’s Eighth St. pickup zone a few feet behind me, the app sent me to Hayes St. near Market behind Bill Graham Auditorium — a four-minute walk. Other options appeared (Market & Seventh; Hyde & Golden Gate), but Hayes was the closest and felt safest.

I aimed for IKEA’s Market St. entrance — listed in an Aug. 20 mayor’s press release as “north of IKEA” — but the closest Waymo would drop me was Sixth & Jessie, mere feet from one of San Francisco’s most notorious nighttime drug markets.

It felt like a bad idea, but I accepted anyway to mirror what a visitor might do.

“Don’t forget your phone, keys, or wallet,” the robotaxi warned as the doors unlocked. 

Believe me, of all the things to happen to my phone, keys or wallet at Sixth & Jessie at 9 p.m., me forgetting them didn’t top the list.

The plan to put more cars back on Market St. has been sharply divisive — backed by businesses but hated by mobility advocates. The city first cleared only Waymo, but after Uber and Lyft threatened to sue over the robotaxis’ exclusive access, Uber Black and Lyft Black rides were added. Lurie’s office declined to comment, referring questions to the companies. 

San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency spokesperson Michael Roccaforte said by email: “This evaluation period is just getting started and we’re actively monitoring the rollout of these vehicles on Market St. to make sure that all modes of transportation are operating safely and efficiently.”

At 9:56 p.m., I requested a Waymo from Sixth near Jessie to Market & Main. After the first ride avoided Market, I chose a longer route that ended on Market to try to coax it onto the street. The app’s pickup spot has signs posted reading “No Stopping.” When I stopped to photograph a sign, a man clad in a do-rag and baggy plaid shirt knocked it over and yelled at me.

“Get the fuck out of here, fucking pig!” the man bellowed (maybe he meant guinea pig?). 

Either way, I got out of there, went a block south and changed the pickup zone closer to Sixth & Mission. The app obliged, but the new pickup zone was still lined with the same signs as before. 

I hopped in, but the Waymo took Folsom and Mission streets to head eastbound, not Market St. Thwarted again. 

I called the company’s customer support line when I reached my destination. Turns out the Waymos aren’t programmed to go down Market yet, and support didn’t know when that will be fixed.

Waymo spokesperson Katherine Barna said Market St. operations began this week but the rollout is intentionally limited. “We’re beginning small and not every ride will be programmed to travel that thoroughfare,” the company said, adding it plans to “increase over time” as part of its “deliberate and mindful scaling.” Waymo said it aims to meet rider demand while recognizing the corridor has operated without passenger cars and “we need to strike a balance as we bring more riders onto Market.” 

When asked why Waymo cars were doing pickups in zones where stopping is not allowed — and near dangerous drug markets — the company said finding good pickup and drop-off zones in dense urban areas “is a delicate balance between safety for riders, avoiding congestion, and optimization to the rider’s requested destination.”

The company’s response leaves it unclear whether any Waymo rides are going up and down Market. I didn’t see any.

Back at Eighth & Market, I requested a ride to 945 Market (IKEA). The app sent me to Grove St. near Market — closer than Waymo’s pickup but not the city’s Eighth St. zone.

“No need to rush when you’re driving in style,” a Lyft app notification purred at me through my screen as I waited. 

A black Tesla Model Y pulled up. My driver, Chunyang, headed east on Grove, crossed Market, then south on Eighth. He didn’t turn onto Market. “Market is just for public transit and taxi, right?” he said. His GPS routed via Natoma and Stevenson and dropped me at Sixth & Stevenson, the nearest allowed stop to IKEA.

When I asked him to pull up to IKEA’s Market St. entrance, signs banning turns from northbound Sixth — and a police car on the corner — forced a loop back to Sixth & Stevenson.

Damn.

After the first Waymo, I walked five minutes to IKEA and called an Uber Black from the entrance. The app sent me to Mason near Turk St., away from the city-designated pickup zone on Market St. near Mason St., but not too far. While I waited, a Mercedes pulled into a gated driveway nearby; a hunched-over man blocked the gate. The driver stepped out of the Mercedes, nudged the man’s ankle and said, “Wake up.”

Right then my ride pulled up, a black Chevy Suburban. I settled into the leather captain’s chair in the middle row. “Mind if we take Market?” my driver Tareku asked. 

Finally! 

He drove three blocks on Market and dropped me near Eighth as requested. Proof that the system (sometimes) works.

For my final ride, I picked a route meant to coax a trip down Market St.: Steuart St. near Market St. (the app didn’t allow a car to stop on Market) to 1355 Market St. This was outside any city-approved pickup zone under the new plan, but I figured the driver could still take Market anyway. Giovanni, in a black Lexus, said Uber had told him Market was permitted, but his GPS still favored Mission westbound, for the most part.

When asked why my second Uber Black mostly stayed away from Market, Uber spokesperson Zahid Arab said in an emailed statement that after a pickup or drop-off at the newly approved locations, some trips may use side streets away from Market to “keep the program consistent with the City’s request to start small.”

“As we gather more data and confirm there’s no impact on transit or street safety, we’ll work with the city to gradually expand access,” Arab added.

After pulling onto Ninth St. from Mission St., Giovanni turned left onto Market and dropped me at the destination I punched in — Uber’s former headquarters at 1355 Market St., hoping to cap things off with a little symbolism.

At 10:36 p.m., I stepped out onto Market, triumphant, and Giovanni’s Lexus sped off into the night.