Driverless Waymo taxis disturb peace, sleep in Bay Area by honking — at each other
When Waymo’s robotaxis started occupying a parking lot next to Randol White’s San Francisco condo building, he was initially glad to see the self-driving cars.
Compared to the sometimes rowdy crowds that had parked there for Giants games, White thought the Waymo vehicles could be the perfect neighbor.
“Until they started honking,†he said.
For the last two weeks, White and his neighbors have heard frequent honking at any and all hours coming from the Waymo lot, often waking him in the middle of the night as the cars beep at each other — a seemingly worthless alert as one unmanned vehicle honks at another.
“At first I actually found it really funny, these cars are honking at each other,†White, 57, said. “I don’t find it funny anymore.â€
“There’s no one for me to go down there and have a conversation with, because they’re a robotaxi,†he said. “That’s the most frustrating thing, you’re just yelling into the void.â€
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White, who lives in San Francisco’s South of Market, or SoMa, neighborhood, said he’s reached out to Waymo asking for them to remedy the situation, but hasn’t yet heard any response.
The company, in response to an inquiry from The Times, said that it was “aware that in some scenarios our vehicles may briefly honk while navigating our parking lots.â€
“We have identified the cause and are in the process of implementing a fix,†a Waymo spokesperson said in a statement.
White is hoping the issue is fixed, but he was a bit perturbed at the company’s use of “briefly†to describe the honking.
“If briefly means multiple times a day, at all hours of the day and night,†White said. “It’s not briefly.â€
White wanted to make it clear that he’s a supporter of Waymo, having used the service several times. He even noted that as a longtime bike commuter, he’s found them a much safer roadway companion than human drivers.
Waymo launches driverless car service in Los Angeles, taking the robot to America’s car culture capital. Critics say the cars are unsafe and will only take away jobs.
But he thinks there must be a glitch that’s causing repeated honking in a parking lot of only automated vehicles.
“I was happy to see the Waymos coming in,†White said. “But this aspect of it, I’m not a fan.â€
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