Waymo's Robotaxi Replace Causes Late Night time Robo-Honking in San Francisco, Pissing Off Locals

Nothing is worse than having your ears drums assaulted by the sound of visitors whenever you’re making an attempt to sleep. These days, some residents of San Francisco appear to be struggling this destiny, due to Waymo. Alphabet’s robotaxi firm has been pissing off some locals, as the corporate’s automated automobiles have a behavior of honking at one another late at night time—typically for so long as an hour.

The problem first garnered consideration earlier this week due to a YouTuber, Sophia Tung, who lives proper subsequent door to one of many parking heaps the place Waymo’s automobiles roost for the night time. Tung has been posting movies (and even a live stream) of the actions within the lot. Based on her, the automobiles come and go in any respect hours, arriving as late as 4 a.m. These days, the automobiles have been honking at one another late at night time, and the noise typically goes on for so long as an hour, she says. “Truthfully, it’s enjoyable to look at the automobiles come and go,” Tung told The Verge. She added that “it’s actually simply the honking that must be resolved.”

When reached for remark by Gizmodo, a Waymo spokesperson clarified that the honking was the results of a current replace: “We lately launched a helpful function to assist keep away from low pace collisions by honking if different automobiles get too shut whereas reversing towards us,” the spokesperson mentioned. “It has been working nice within the metropolis, however we didn’t fairly anticipate it could occur so typically in our personal parking heaps. We’ve up to date the software program, so our electrical automobiles ought to maintain the noise down for our neighbors transferring ahead.”

Waymo has labored laborious to make itself a dominant participant within the rising robotaxi market. Along with San Francisco, the corporate at the moment has energetic places in Los Angeles and Phoenix, Arizona, and is planning on increasing its footprint to different cities and areas. This week, the corporate introduced that it could start testing its automobiles on Bay Space freeways, a course of it started in Phoenix earlier this yr.