If your taxi took you down a narrow, dead-end street and encountered another taxi coming in the opposite direction, you’d trust the driver would be able to navigate this obstacle, right?
But what if your taxi didn’t have a driver and was instead an autonomous robotaxi from Waymo?
San Francisco residents were frustrated on December 6 when not one, not two, but three Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis owned and operated by Waymo managed to get stuck in a ‘standoff’ on a residential street.
The Waymo robotaxis are seen in video footage captured by TikTok user chii_rinna blocking the street and preventing other vehicles – driven by humans – from leaving.
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In a statement provided to news network KTVU Fox 2, Waymo – owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet – said two of the robotaxis had made “minor contact at low speed”.
“We are looking into this further, and when we encounter situations like this, we are able to learn from them and make improvements,” a Waymo spokesperson said.
Video footage shows what appears to be a Waymo employee responding to the scene to clear the street. It’s unclear just how long the robotaxis were obstructing the street.
It comes just days after a Waymo robotaxi was caught on camera driving into the middle of a police standoff in Los Angeles, even stopping briefly next to a swarm of police officers with their guns drawn.
But in some positive news for the technology company, one of its robotaxis successfully took a woman to hospital who had started giving birth in the back.
According to KTVU Fox 2, on December 8 a pregnant woman en route to hospital delivered her baby.
“Waymo’s systems and processes were effective in managing the situation. Our remote Rider Support team detected the unusual activity, initiated a call to check on the rider, and contacted 911,” said a Waymo spokesperson.
The woman and her newborn were delivered safely to hospital, and the company confirmed the robotaxi was “immediately removed from service for cleaning”.
MORE: Google’s autonomous robotaxi drives passengers into police standoff