A Los Angeles man was trying to get to an Arizona airport in a Waymo self-driving taxi last month. Stuck in an incredibly frustrating loop where the car just travels in circles. The man also said he almost missed his flight home, and as Waymo told Gizmodo the issue has been resolved. But it's still unclear what happened.
LA-based tech entrepreneur Mike Johns writes about his experience. LinkedinIncluding a video of the pain. The video went viral across social media platforms.
“My Monday went well. It wasn't until I got into Waymo's 'inhumane' car that I got in, fastened my seat belt (safety first) and the story began,” Johns wrote –This self-driving car is said to be able to use GPS and the car can drive in circles. Eight circles there.”
Johns, who did not immediately respond to a message sent through his website. Said he wondered if someone was pranking him.
“Did someone pretend this car was hacked? It (feels) like a scene from a sci-fi thriller. My Waymo experience was terrible. Mind you, I was on my way to the airport and almost missed my flight. I would keep it the old fashioned way and just Lyft or Uber,” Johns continued.
Waymo, which is owned by Google parent company Alphabet, told Gizmodo that drivers were not charged for their trips. and tried to contact Johns, but they didn't connect. Waymo also emphasized that the loop took about five minutes, Johns said. ABC15 Arizona that he was frustrated by the experience and “It's like the person was the experimenter.”
John also said CBS News Los Angeles He didn't like the attitude of the technical support staff. (or robot) that he faces And it's not sure if he's talking to a human or an AI while circling.
“Where is the compassion? Where is the human connection to this?” Johns told CBS News. “It is just the case again in today's digital world. It is a semi-finished product and there is no one meeting the customer or consumer in the middle.”
This isn't the first time Waymo's cars have gotten confused and appeared stuck in a loop. Back in December Automobile news outlet Jalopnik reported on a Waymo vehicle that appeared to be stuck in a roundabout in Arizona. By circling at least 37 times– That car had no passengers at that time.
There have also been more worrying incidents involving self-driving cars, such as when Waymo hit a cyclist back in San Francisco. Feb 2024– There is also a time in May 2024 when Waymo cars Poll by phoneThis resulted in a recall of the company's mapping technology.
Johns compared his experience to a science fiction movie. It is not uncommon for people to experience strange things with new technology. And it can be hard to tell what's going on from a passenger's perspective when I was driving a Waymo in Los Angeles a few months ago. The car sped away as soon as I was about to get inside. The car decided that it should pick me up in the turning lane instead. That's a much more dangerous decision that a human driver probably wouldn't make.
But this is definitely the future. If only because without driver companies like Waymo, services like Uber and Lyft could be lowered, at least until they lay off drivers entirely. At that point They can raise prices like they did after Uber destroyed the taxi industry. Time moves on.