A recent incident in San Francisco involving a self-driving taxi and two men has gone viral. The video, shared by a tech worker known as Amina, shows two men obstructing the path of her Waymo vehicle and demanding her phone number. Despite Amina’s pleas for them to move, the men continued to block the car and harass her.
Amina described the incident as terrifying, stating that she was concerned more men would join the two harassers. She explained that the car was unable to move due to the men standing in front of it. The situation escalated when a third man, carrying a blow torch, joined the scene. Fortunately, no additional men joined in and the situation did not escalate further.
Following the incident, Amina contacted Waymo’s in-car support service. Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, operates autonomous taxis in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. The company apologized to Amina and assured her that such incidents are extremely rare, occurring in a minuscule fraction of the 100,000 trips they facilitate each week.
However, this is not the first time a Waymo vehicle has been involved in a distressing incident. Earlier this year, a couple reported being attacked by a man who appeared to be homeless. The man attempted to block the vehicle’s sensors, which would have immobilized the car. The couple expressed their helplessness, stating that they had no control over the situation.
In response to that incident, Waymo advised passengers to remain inside the vehicle if it is attacked by a pedestrian. The company also reached out to Amina following her ordeal, offering support and follow-up calls to ensure her well-being. Amina has since accepted Waymo’s apology and praised the company’s response, although she stated she would be more cautious when using the service alone in the future.