Man Books Waymo From Airport To His House 10 Minutes Away. Then He Sees How Long It Actually Takes Him To Get There: 'I Hit Start'

A man says his usual ride home from the airport turned into something of a side quest after he climbed into the Waymo.

In a recent video, Noah (@notnoahosbrne) says that a ride in a driverless car that should have taken only minutes turned into a confusing detour.

“Don’t book a driverless car,” he wrote in the text overlay of his video.

Noah says he booked a Waymo to take him home from the airport, which is normally a 10-minute trip. He says the app did not show him an estimated trip time beforehand, but he didn’t think much of it because he lives nearby. Then the Waymo took off.

“I get in the car, and I hit start, and it says 45 minutes until dropoff,” Noah says, adding he initially thought it was a technical issue.

Instead, Noah says the car started driving toward his house before making a U-turn and heading in the opposite direction. He says the Waymo drove away for about 15 minutes, went through a parking lot area, and then headed back toward his destination.

“I’m still 29 minutes away from my house,” Noah says, actively recording during his ride.

He says he contacted support to see if they could adjust the route, and the representative suggested canceling the trip, getting another ride, and offered a refund.

Noah, however, says that wasn’t a realistic option at the time. “I’m in the middle of a highway area,” he says. “There’s nowhere to pull over here.”

“Waymo, y’all gotta fix this,” he wrote in the caption.

As of this writing, the video has more than 983,500 views.

Why Would A Waymo Take The Long Way?

A driverless ride taking a longer route does not necessarily mean the vehicle is lost, and Noah isn’t the first customer to complain that the autonomous vehicle took longer than expected to get from Point A to Point B. In the r/Waymo subreddit, another person said their Waymo took “detours through neighborhoods” instead of just taking them straight home.

Waymo says its autonomous driving system uses information from its sensors, maps, and software to navigate roads and make driving decisions. The vehicle is designed to follow traffic laws, respond to its surroundings, and adjust based on what it encounters during the trip.

That means the fastest route on a map may not always be the route Waymo takes.

According to Waymo, its vehicles can adjust to things like road conditions, construction, and other situations. The company says its system is constantly evaluating its environment while driving.

Waymo riders can also contact Rider Support (available 24/7) from inside the car, through the app, or online if something goes wrong during a trip. The company says support agents can help passengers, including assisting if they need to pull over or end the trip.

Still, autonomous vehicles have faced questions over how they handle unusual situations. In April, a Houston woman recorded the aftermath of what appeared to be an accident involving a Waymo and an 18-wheeler. Earlier this month, another customer said two Waymos in front of her refused to move after a traffic light went from red to green.

For riders, the experience can feel different from a traditional rideshare because there is no human driver to ask for a quick route change. Instead, issues have to be handled through the app or Waymo’s support system.

Are Driverless Taxis Worth It?

Noah’s experience struck a nerve with viewers, many of whom said they would never willingly get into a driverless car.

“Why are we booking Waymos?” one commenter asked.

“I will never understand trusting your safety or wallet to a driverless car,” another wrote.

Others echoed that sentiment.

“You couldn’t pay me to take a driverless car,” one viewer commented.

“I’d never take a Waymo,” another added.

Some joked that the car had a mind of its own.

“Sir, I feel like you’ve been kidnapped by a robot,” one commenter wrote.

“Legend has it he’s still in that Waymo,” another joked.

Others claimed the detour was a way for Waymo to try to charge customers more.

“I bet they charge by the mile,” one person said.

“This way they can bill you more,” another wrote.

Several commenters said Noah’s experience reinforced their concerns about autonomous vehicles.

“Y’all put too much trust in artificial intelligence,” one viewer wrote.

And another who identified themselves as a rideshare driver argued that navigation technology isn't perfect.

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“I'm a rideshare driver, and I will never use a driverless taxi,” they wrote. “Without a driver, you are stuck with a thoughtless car.”

Motor1 reached out to Noah via TikTok direct message and to Waymo via email. We'll update this story if we hear back.

 

 

 

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