On Friday night, Vice President Kamala Harris’ motorcade experienced a brief disruption courtesy of Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google. The incident occurred as Harris was returning from a fundraiser in San Francisco.
The first Waymo taxi, a self-driving vehicle, was unable to complete a U-turn, forcing Harris’s motorcade to come to a halt. Traffic built up behind the stalled vehicle until a police officer intervened and manually drove the Waymo taxi out of the way. ABC7 News reported that a second Waymo robotaxi also caused delays for the vice president’s journey.
While self-driving taxis are becoming increasingly commonplace in San Francisco, they haven’t been universally welcomed. Earlier this year, a Waymo vehicle was set on fire by a mob, and there have been other incidents involving self-driving cars, including collisions with telephone poles and driving on the wrong side of the road.
The timing of this incident is particularly noteworthy considering the upcoming U.S. presidential election, which is just over a month away. Lauren Martinez, an ABC7 News reporter, shared a video clip of the Waymo self-driving taxi incident on X (formerly Twitter).
Waymo has been rapidly expanding its robotaxi service, recently announcing it had doubled its weekly paid rides to 100,000 in just three months. This milestone showcases the growing presence of Waymo’s autonomous vehicles in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. However, the expansion hasn’t been without challenges. Waymo’s self-driving cars have been involved in several incidents, including disturbances caused by honking in a San Francisco parking lot and technical problems resulting in longer wait times for rides.
Despite these challenges, Waymo continues to innovate. The company recently introduced its sixth-generation hardware, which includes advanced sensors designed to improve performance in various weather conditions. This new system aims to enhance the safety and reliability of Waymo’s autonomous vehicles.
