A Los Angeles man said he recently missed his flight home after getting stuck in a Waymo that wouldn’t stop circling in a parking lot on his way to the airport.
Three weeks ago, L.A. technology entrepreneur Mike Johns posted a video on LinkedIn in which he called a Waymo customer service representative and reported that his car kept spinning and he was worried he would miss his flight.
“I was able to get on the plane. Why is this all going around? I’m getting dizzy,” Johns said. “I’m circling the parking lot. I’ve put my seatbelt on. I can’t get out of the car. Has this been hacked? What’s going on? I feel like I’m in a movie. Someone… Are you kidding me?”
The customer service representative tried to get Johns to open the Waymo app and pull over, but he seemed to be having a hard time pulling over.
The CBS report said Johns was returning from Scottsdale, Arizona, and that he was “almost” about to miss his flight.
Johns, who also works on AI initiatives, according to his LinkedIn profile, said in a social media post that Waymo did not follow up after the experience.
“You would think that by now Waymo would email, text, or call me to ask for a follow-up,” he wrote. “No, customer service is automated and performed by AI.”
Waymo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The self-driving car company has been a common sight on San Francisco’s streets for years, and after first rolling out a pilot program to a select group of users, it recently opened its service to all passengers. Robotaxis went on sale in Los Angeles last fall.
Waymo’s goal is to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities through self-driving technology, which users and supporters of the service praise as a safe and easy alternative to human drivers. Masu.
But the company also encountered technical glitches and safety concerns as it rolled out robotaxis in several cities.
A man allegedly tried to hijack a Waymo and flee in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. Police eventually removed the man from the vehicle and took him into custody.
There have also been reports of riders encountering harassment from pedestrians blocking the path of cars and causing them to stall.
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