When Waymo’s autonomous taxis first arrived, locals like Randol White in the center of San Francisco’s SoMa area welcomed them. At first glance, the autonomous cars appeared to be a calmer, more organized alternative to the boisterous groups of people that usually filled the parking lot outside his condo when the Giants were playing. This peacefulness, though, was short-lived as the robotaxis started honking at one another all the time, upsetting the quiet of the neighborhood.
The Waymo cars have been honking nonstop for the last two weeks, often waking White and his neighbors in the middle of the night. What was once a quirky but slightly entertaining behavior soon became annoying. “At first, I actually found it really funny, these cars honking at each other,” White, 57, recalled. “I don’t find it funny anymore.”
The problem is exacerbated by the fact that these are autonomous vehicles with no human operators to address. “There’s no one for me to go down there and have a conversation with because they’re a robotaxi,” White lamented. “That’s the most frustrating thing—you’re just yelling into the void.”
Despite his irritation, White reached out to Waymo, hoping for a solution. The company responded, acknowledging the issue and stating that they were “aware that in some scenarios our vehicles may briefly honk while navigating our parking lots.” Waymo assured that they had identified the cause and were working on a fix.
Yet, White is skeptical about the company’s use of the term “briefly” to describe the honking. “If briefly means multiple times a day, at all hours of the day and night,” White noted, “it’s not briefly.”
Although a supporter of Waymo and its safer approach to driving, White remains concerned about the persistent honking, hoping that this glitch will soon be resolved. “I was happy to see the Waymos coming in,” he said. “But this aspect of it, I’m not a fan.”