My husband has always said NOPE! (in all caps and with the exclamation point) when I talked about driverless cars, but I have been wanting to try them out for years. My speaking engagement in Phoenix this week was the perfect opportunity to try out Waymo, a driverless car ride share app.

Watch this quick video to get a feel for the whole experience:

I wasn’t scared (but I hadn’t seen this video yet)

It wasn’t until I was in a Waymo for the return trip to the airport that someone sent me this viral video from a couple of days before. But I’ve been in plenty of cars with really bad human drivers, so I probably would have proceeded anyway.

@abc7la A woman’s first #Waymo ride in #Arizona was more thrilling than expected when the #autonomousvehicle ♬ original sound – ABC7LA

I should have read the instructions better

My first challenge with the experience was definitely (probably) operator error. I signed up for the app in such a rush that I pushed buttons to order it without looking at the details that I assume were there.

The first thing that I did wrong was not knowing how to find my car. With Uber and Lyft, you look for a license plate or car type. All the Weymo cars look the same, and I didn’t see the glowing “BZ” rotating on the roof light bubble until after I tried to get into the wrong one.

The next thing that I didn’t bother to figure out was how to actually get into the dang thing.

You know how Tesla cars have those weird door handles you always forget how to open? Weymo is similar. I saw the handle-looking spot on the door, but it didn’t open when I pressed it. A few awkward seconds later, I noticed a button on my phone that said “Open the door.”

I like help with my luggage

I travel light with a carry-on and a backpack, but they’re heavy. I had to find the hatch button in the back and load my own bags. The whole time I was a little nervous that the car would take off without me, but of course it didn’t.

The FAQ welcome message only plays once

When I first got in, a friendly voice gave me an overview of what to expect while info showed on the screen between the front seats. The welcome didn’t play on the second ride, but I think you can toggle that off/on in the app.

You have to know where you’re going

Because all of my previous drivers have been human, I was used to working with the driver to be picked up and dropped off in the right places. You can call or text a driver and say, “Where are you?” or “I will walk up to the crosswalk to make things easier.” Waymo goes where you tell it to go, and it’s tougher to say, “I think this entrance is blocked off. Can you drop me off around the corner?”

There is a button that lets you request that Waymo pull over. And I saw an option to adjust my drop-off location. But it wasn’t as easy as pulling yourself closer to a driver to collaborate on your ride.

Do country fans not like driverless cars?

You can choose from pre-set iHeart Radio stations or hook up your Spotify, etc. The 15 or so stations included Rock, Classical, Pop, Jazz, K-POP Metal, K-POP NOW, Disney Hits, Kidz Pop, EDM, Emerging ALT, Bollywood, NPR and more, but no country. My hubby is a country fan, and he says “NOPE!” to driverless cars. It probably means nothing, but it does make me wonder.

It costs a little more than Uber and Lyft

Both trips were about five bucks more than Uber and Lyft. But since I didn’t have to tip, it was about the same.

It felt a little jerky

Maybe I was being overly sensitive, but I felt like my Waymos braked a little harder than most human drivers. Other than that, the driving seemed just fine. But again, I hadn’t seen that viral video yet.

After a while, I forgot I was alone

When I first got in the car both times, I was very conscious of the emptiness and watched everything. But after a few minutes, My eyes drifted back to my phone, and I forgot that I was in a driverless car.

I like being alone

I feel rude when I talk on the phone or tune people out in an Uber or Lyft and often ask them if they mind. And if I’m recording a video or taking a selfie, I feel pretty self-conscious.

So it was cool to be able to talk aloud without fear of public scrutiny.

You have to shut the doors and hatch

When I took my luggage out of the car at the airport, I left the back open as an experiment. Would it shut itself? Nope. I got a notice on my phone that the doors and back were open, and I had to close the back and push the little door handle back into the side. My phone even gave me a little warning that the Waymo doors were open.

Even if you don’t want to use a driverless car, you will have to deal with them

In Phoenix, Waymo cars were everywhere, both empty and with passengers. That means that even if you never want to get into a driverless car yourself, you’re going to be interacting with the technology every time you move about. I heard Nashville is getting driverless cars soon, and I can’t wait to hear the colorful language my hubby will shout when he starts encountering these vehicles on his routes.

Would you Waymo?

Have you tried a driverless car? Do you own one? Would you get in one? Would love to hear your opinions, thoughts and worries.