cars

It's not every day that a person of any age gets into a car for a trip that has no driver. So when 80-somethings Kenny and Jerry did it, it was extra exciting to see their reactions. And although it's becoming more common to witness or experience for a select few in a handful of cities, many are completely perplexed (and some even terrified) by the idea.

Waymo, a self-driving car service, has been in development under Google's parent company, Alphabet, since 2009. According to Forbes, Waymo's driverless car service is expanding quickly. Alan Ohnsman writes, "Currently, the Mountain View, California-based company books more than 1 million rides a month in Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Bay Area communities, Austin, Atlanta and, as of last month, Miami."

Waymo has also said it aims to expand into more cities and even other countries, including Japan and the United Kingdom, by next year.

On a sunny day in Minnesota, Navy veteran Kenny, accompanied by his friends and neighbors Amanda and Jerry, took a Waymo test ride. Viewers got to witness their amazement in real time, while Jerry's daughter Jenny stayed behind to film. Waiting on the side of the road, Kenny spots the white car approaching and asks, "What's that thing on top?" Jenny answers, "I don't know." He inspects it for a moment and then enthusiastically announces, "A Jaguar!"

An automated voice gently greets: "Hello Amanda." As Kenny and Jerry get in the back seat, they're both baffled. "You got a Jaguar!" Noticing there's no driver, Kenny is mystified. "Wha? Where is the guy?"

Amanda tells everyone to "buckle up," while the automated voice says, "Headed to Xanadu Coffee Company." Kenny says, "Oh no Amanda. Do you trust this? Amanda!"

We see an outside shot of the car as it heads down the street. Both Kenny and Jerry are bewildered, with Jerry (who is deaf) signing, "Where's Jenny?" Kenny is still awestruck. "Oh my God. I cannot believe this!" Amanda asks again, "Are you buckled?" Kenny enthusiastically answers, "Yes, I wanna be buckled!" We then get a shot of the steering wheel moving itself. Kenny yells, "How in the…?"

Jerry tries to wrap his arms around the non-existent driver. "Where in the?" Kenny understandably has more questions. "Well how did it get down here?" Amanda explains, "I called it." Kenny can't believe his ears. "You called it. Called who?" Amanda laughs. "The car." Kenny astutely points out, "There's no guy…driver!"

Now Kenny and Jerry seem a bit anxious. Kenny asks, "They're selling these?" Both men are worried about Jenny. "Where's Jenny? We've gotta pick her up!"

Kenny gets extra riled as he looks at the map. "Amanda! Won't this car…cops will see this!" And now even Amanda gets excited as the Waymo stops and turns. She exclaims, "Here we go, intersection!" Kenny shares, "I'll never forget this!" He later adds, "He did a better job than if someone was driving!"

The car seems to slow down, and Amanda asks why. Kenny says, "See Amanda? I told ya? That's technology!" Amanda pushes back, suggesting that perhaps the Waymo is just "being careful." Jerry proposes that maybe they're out of gas, with Kenny worrying out loud, "Well now we're gonna have to walk, probably."

The comment section is filled with people who still seem a bit nervous about the technology. One person writes, "I'm 34. We have the same reaction, grandpa." Another shares, "They're brave. No way I'm getting in that."

But many were equally touched by the adorable reactions. "Bro touched the driver seat just to make sure there was no invisible man." And many pointed out how incredible it is that they all got to live in a time when an invention like this exists: "They lived long enough to see what people said would be impossible to them in the '40s and '50s."

The first video leaves us on a cliffhanger, but there's no need to fret, as there are two more parts. As we head over to part two, Kenny and Jerry are still baffled by the fact that the Waymo is a Jaguar. "Do you know how much these things cost?" Kenny asks excitedly.

They pass a semi-truck, and Amanda points it out. "Look at the guy in the semi looking at us!" Jerry happily waves and Kenny requests a photo. Kenny asks, "Are you sure this ain't a cop car?" He then points at the map and declares, "Arrive in three minutes!" He says in earnest, "This made my day, Amanda." Amanda responds, "Me too. Look at the people next to us!" They show us a slow-motion shot of people gawking from a taxi. Jerry signs, "Sorry we're hurting your business."

Everyone is impressed by the smooth turns, and finally, they reach their destination. Kenny says to no one in the driver's seat, "Well thank you very much. You did an excellent job. I can't believe this!"

After they all exit the Waymo, Kenny marvels at the fact that it takes off again. "He's gone!" Kenny turns to the camera, "If older people could afford it, that would be good for us old fogies once we lose our license! Or even when we don't!"

In the much anticipated part three of the series, everyone reflects on their time in the Waymo. Amanda asks, "How would you rate your experience 1-10?" Kenny answers, "Ten." Jerry signs, "One hundred!"

Amanda points out another Waymo, which seems to thrill everyone. Kenny admits, "At first when I got in one I was scared. But after I rode in it, we went all over. We went a long ways. Amanda, it's got everything that a person would want. Everything! I mean you got no gas, no traffic, no accidents, you name it! I like it."

Now appearing once more with Jerry, Kenny asks, "Are they gonna start doing this now with this car?" Amanda explains, "Only trying it out where there's not bad weather, ya know?" Kenny semi-jokes, "Well then we'll never see it in Minnesota then."

After a bit, Amanda asks Kenny, "When you were young, what kind of technology was new and shocking, other than like a computer?" Kenny thinks for a second and replies, "A TV! They progressed as the years went on. Compared to a little black and white one we had. Then they got bigger. Then color came ... color TV came out. Oh yes!" He adds, "The vacuum cleaner they've got that goes all over the house!"

Jerry signs, "I hoped we weren't going to get locked in that car!" Kenny says he thought of that too, but adds, "I'll never be able to sleep tonight. I can't get over it, Amanda! Amanda!"

This crew of friends is tight-knit. After becoming buddies in 2021, Amanda and Kenny started making TikTok videos together under the name @Patriotickenny. They even raised money for a new scooter when Kenny's broke down. This inspired them to begin raising money for free scooters for veterans in need, ultimately resulting in the creation of the Patriotic Kenny Foundation.

Upworthy had a chance to speak with Amanda, who shared, "The Crew is together and going strong! We all serve on the board for the Patriotic Kenny Foundation and participate in all of Kenny's adventures together, especially tackling his bucket list."

Kenny is especially thrilled to give back to his veteran community. Since founding the organization, Amanda shares that it makes Kenny "feel like he's able to leave a legacy behind, like he's in a whole new chapter of his life with strong purpose."