San Francisco

Customers raise complaints as Waymo robotaxis get vandalized

NBC Universal, Inc.

The San Francisco Police Department is investigating various complaints from Waymo riders who said their rides had been interrupted by vandals.

Widely circulated videos on social media platforms show individuals tagging and throwing items at the autonomous driving robotaxis. One recent incident showed three women visiting from Los Angeles screaming as a group gathered and tagged the car.

The woman had called Waymo's support line, asking what to do since the car would not move. The vehicle eventually moved from that spot.

The SFPD said on September 21, there were similar incidents that involved Waymo vehicles.

In the most recent incident, two men stood in front of the robotaxi, immobilizing it, via a text message from the rider to NBC Bay Area.

The men had repeatedly asked the woman for her phone number. According to her social media post, a man had walked by with a blowtorch.

The rider said she did not file a police report because she didn't think SFPD would do anything.

A Waymo spokesperson told NBC Bay Area that these types of instances are extremely rare, and the company is continuously trying to figure out ways to improve the rider experience.

Sergio Quintana has the full report in the video above.

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