Waymo driverless robotaxi takes airport passengers in circles

He had a plane to catch, but his ride to the airport ended in a parking lot, going in circles.

This is a passenger’s experience using Waymo, the Alphabet-owned autonomous taxi service that launched in San Francisco last year and has expanded its fleet to Los Angeles and Phoenix.

The passenger, Mike Johns, recorded the vehicle driving in a loop in a parking lot in Scottsdale, Arizona, on December 9, and posted video of the circular situation on Linkedin.

The video included Johns’ conversation with the rider support. A company representative can be heard apologizing while Johns asks if the car was hacked and if someone is playing a joke on him.

When the representative asks her to access her app to help resolve the issue, Johns wonders why she can’t take the vehicle back herself.

“You don’t need my phone,” he said.

“I don’t have the ability to control the car,” he can be heard responding.

The incident lasted about five minutes, according to the company, and Johns was eventually taken to the airport, where he said he did not miss his flight.

According to Waymo, Johns was not charged for his trip. The problem that caused its vehicle to drive in a loop has since been resolved through a regular software update, the company said.