Unwanted Wake-Up Call: Waymo Robotaxis Cause Early Morning Chaos
Residents of San Francisco experienced an unexpected and disruptive wake-up call when autonomous robotaxis operated by Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, began honking incessantly in the early hours. The incident, which occurred in a parking lot beneath a residential building, left many residents frustrated and sleep-deprived.
Residents frustrated by early morning noise
Sophia Tung, a software engineer living directly above the parking lot where the driverless cabs were parked, voiced her frustration on social media. “The entire night I was hearing the boop boop boop of Waymos backing up and pulling in/out,” Tung wrote on Threads. “Could barely sleep, literally heard it in my dreams. Still at it this morning.”
As the situation escalated, Tung shared that the autonomous vehicles began honking at each other, creating a traffic jam in the lot. “Now there is a traffic jam. They’re all honking at each other and getting a bit aggressive. The attendant has no idea what to do,” she added.
Video captures the early morning robotaxi chaos
Tung later posted a live stream titled “When it’s 4 am but the Waymos are getting aggressive in the parking lot,” capturing the chaotic scene. The video showed several robotaxis honking while waiting to park, further highlighting the extent of the disturbance.
Waymo responds to the honking incident
In an interview with The Verge, Tung explained that Waymo vehicles typically return to the parking space between 7 pm and 9 pm from Sunday to Thursday, and later on weekends. The parking lot begins to fill up around 4 a.m., contributing to the noise disruption.
A Waymo spokesperson acknowledged the issue, stating, “We are aware that in some scenarios our vehicles may briefly honk while navigating our parking lots.” The company is reportedly working to address the unnecessary honking.
Waymo, originally launched as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009 and rebranded in 2016, has been testing its autonomous vehicles in San Francisco since August 2019. Despite regulatory approval to operate without human safety drivers, the robotaxis have faced criticism from San Francisco residents for slow driving and mid-route stops that contribute to traffic congestion.
