For one neighborhood, driverless robotaxis have become a source of frustration rather than convenience. Residents in San Bruno, California, report that Waymo’s self-driving vehicles are not only clogging up their streets and parking in front of driveways, but they’re sending passengers meant to be dropped off at San Francisco airport (SFO) to their neighborhood instead. And every time these robotaxis cause an issue, citizens have to waste time calling tech support or calling 911.
Waymo robotaxis are stranding passengers and frustrating neighbors
For two weeks since the middle of July, residents in San Bruno’s Belle Air Park have noticed that passengers were being stranded in their neighborhood, according to six neighbors speaking with NBC Bay Area.
Specifically, they were being dropped off in the 500 block of Seventh Avenue, which is the closest residential street to SFO. Witnesses say these passengers, like one visiting from Switzerland, would walk out of the taxi, grab their luggage, and look confused trying to figure out where they are. Some who were fed up with the robotaxis decided to hoof it with their luggage to the nearest SFO terminal, which is three miles away.
Neighbors also pointed out that the robotaxis would either stall or park on their street for a long time in an area that has a lot of senior residents and very limited parking.
“This afternoon, two houses up, there was a Waymo parked across the driveway,” resident Robert Riechel said, “and the young lady in the house, she wanted to get out, and we tried to holler at the machine or whatever and tell ’em ‘You’re blocking the driveway!'”
One neighbor reported counting 29 robotaxis in the neighborhood on a Sunday.
Marty Medina, a representative for San Bruno, said he and other city leaders have reached out to Waymo via email concerning these complaints. Meanwhile, San Bruno police have been already called to the neighborhood twice to address issues caused by the robotaxis.
A statement from a Waymo representative said, “We’re committed to learning from these moments and making the rider experience as seamless as possible.”
