A Bay Area man experienced a frustrating incident when he took a ride in a Waymo robot taxi for the first time. Di Jing was on her way to San Diego from Sunnyvale, and despite a good start to her trip, things took a turn when she arrived at the airport. She attempted to retrieve her luggage from the trunk, but to her surprise, the car simply drove away, leaving her with no clothes or work materials.
Jing recounted her experience, explaining that when she pressed the trunk release, nothing happened. Instead, the vehicle just left. Unsure of what to do, nearby passengers reached out to Waymo’s customer service. Unfortunately, they were informed that the car was already headed back to its base and could not return.
Without any belongings, Jing boarded her flight feeling uneasy. “I don’t have any luggage or a change of clothes. All my work notes are in there,” she said, reflecting her irritation about the situation.
Later that day, Waymo communicated that her luggage had been retrieved and stored at a local warehouse. However, they indicated that they wouldn’t cover the shipping costs to return her items. Instead, they offered two free rides to the warehouse so she could collect her luggage herself.
This option wasn’t ideal for Jing, as she found it unreasonable to pay for shipping or spend a few hours traveling just to get her items back. “It’s a terrible story,” she commented on Waymo’s proposed solutions. “It’s not my mistake, so it doesn’t make any sense.”
This incident sheds light on the challenges that arise with autonomous vehicles. Meanwhile, California has taken a step towards regulating self-driving taxis by passing a bill that would allow officers to ticket these vehicles for moving violations.
