Los Angeles may be a global car capital, but most locals are not ready to hand the keys to a computer just yet. A new USC Schaeffer survey finds Angelenos remain wary of robotaxis: only 5% of Los Angeles County residents said they used an autonomous ride-hailing service in the past year, and just 9% rated driverless vehicles as "safe" or "very safe" from crashes. At the same time, about 23% said robotaxis felt safe from harassment or crime, and women showed a narrower safety gap between robotaxis and traditional ride-hailing services.
Survey Snapshot
The findings come from the LABarometer Mobility & Sustainability survey, conducted February 20 through May 10, 2026, among 1,280 Los Angeles County residents, according to USC Schaeffer. This wave tracked transportation and environmental attitudes across the county and folded in new questions about autonomous ride-hailing and how artificial intelligence might affect Hollywood jobs.
Who’s Taking Robotaxis?
For now, Waymo rides are a niche option countywide. About 5% of respondents said they had taken an autonomous ride in the past year, compared with roughly 28% who used traditional ride-hailing services like Uber or Lyft. Younger residents and those with bachelor’s degrees were more likely to try robotaxis, and both non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black respondents reported higher usage rates, as reported by MyNewsLA.
Harassment vs. Crash Fears
When it comes to harassment or crime, Angelenos actually rank autonomous vehicles just behind private cars. About 23% called robotaxis "safe" or "very safe" on that front, compared with roughly 17% for Uber or Lyft. But on crash safety, driverless vehicles landed at the bottom: only 9% said they felt robotaxis were safe from accidents, per USC Schaeffer. The survey also notes a gender gap: women were substantially more likely to see robotaxis as safer from harassment than driver-operated ride-hails, narrowing the usual safety gap women report across transportation modes.
Coverage and Convenience Still Limit Growth
Availability and convenience are another big drag on adoption. Robotaxis do not yet serve many San Fernando Valley and San Gabriel Valley neighborhoods or major airports, making them less practical than app-based ride-hail options for a lot of everyday trips, according to local reporting. Waymo, for its part, says it opened commercial service in Los Angeles in late 2024 and now serves a growing portion of the county, according to Waymo.
How LA Compares
The county results mirror a broader national skepticism. A Pew Research Center poll in February 2026 found most U.S. adults would be uncomfortable riding in a fully driverless car, with only a small share saying they felt very or extremely comfortable. The USC numbers place Los Angeles right in that lane: lots of exposure to the technology on local streets, but nowhere near widespread trust.
What to Watch
Analysts will be watching whether ridership among older adults grows, whether perceived crash risk starts to come down, and whether real-world incidents or customer satisfaction data move public opinion as robotaxi coverage expands across the county. The LABarometer results offer a baseline that policymakers, companies, and researchers can use to track how attitudes shift over time as more Angelenos decide whether to tap the robotaxi button or stick with a human behind the wheel.
