Tech nightmare: Waymo's robotaxis honked at 4am for no reason
What's the story
San Francisco residents have raised concerns about the noise pollution caused by Waymo's autonomous robotaxis.
The driverless cabs, which are often parked near residential areas, have been regularly honking at around 4:00am (local time) for no reason.
This has led to significant disruption for locals living in close proximity to these parking lots, as their sleep is getting disrupted.
Personal account
Resident shares experience of noise disruption
Sophia Tung, a software engineer residing above one such parking lot, has voiced her frustration over the disturbance caused by Waymo's robotaxis.
She described on Threads how the constant honking from the cabs backing up and pulling in/out, kept her awake all night.
"The entire night I was hearing the boop boop boop of Waymos backing up and pulling in/out," Tung shared.
Traffic issues
Tung reports traffic congestion caused by robotaxis
In addition to the noise disruption, Tung also reported a traffic jam caused by the robotaxis.
She described a scenario where the cabs were honking at each other and exhibiting aggressive behavior, leaving an attendant clueless about how to handle the situation.
Tung even livestreamed this incident on social media under the title "When it's 4 am but the Waymos are getting aggressive in the parking lot."
Company response
Waymo acknowledges and responds to honking issue
In response to these complaints, a spokesperson from Waymo acknowledged that their cars might briefly honk while navigating parking lots.
The company has identified why the vehicles have been honking unnecessarily and is working on fixing it.
This isn't the first time San Francisco residents have expressed dissatisfaction with Waymo's autonomous vehicles. Previous complaints have centered around slow driving speeds and abrupt stops leading to road congestion.