Waymo

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SF Rethinks Robotaxis After Waymo Kills Beloved Cat
Cat's Death Could Change
Robotaxi Rules
in case you missed
Nov 9, 2025 9:30 AM CST

Cat's Death Could Change Robotaxi Rules

Beloved feline known as 'mayor of 16th Street' was killed by a Waymo in San Francisco

(Newser) - The death of a well-known San Francisco cat named KitKat, known to locals as the "mayor of 16th Street," has touched off a new wave of anger toward autonomous vehicles in the city. KitKat, a fixture at Randa's Market in the Mission District, was killed last week...

GM Teases Car That Doubles as Your Personal Assistant

Self-driving Cadillac Escalade IQ coming to market in 2028

(Newser) - General Motors is ushering in an era of "immersive tech," teasing a future where you can watch a movie or answer emails while your car handles the driving, then send it to run your errands. The company announced Wednesday that by 2028, it will roll out "eyes-off"...

Cops Couldn't Ticket Waymo That Made Illegal U-Turn

'No driver, no hands, no clue'

(Newser) - California police officers found themselves in an unusual spot last week when they tried to pull over a car for a traffic violation and discovered there was no driver to ticket. During a DUI enforcement operation in San Bruno, officers stopped a Waymo autonomous vehicle after it made an...

Tesla Eyes NYC for Robotaxi Expansion

Company looking for data collectors in Queens, though it hasn't yet filed for permits

(Newser) - Tesla appears to be setting its sights on New York City for its next robotaxi expansion, posting a job listing for data collectors to drive its vehicles through the streets of Queens. The company is seeking candidates to serve as "prototype vehicle operators," gathering audio and video...

Waymo Suspends Downtown LA Service
Waymo Suspends
Downtown LA Service
Jun 9, 2025 3:27 PM CDT

Waymo Suspends Downtown LA Service

Protesters torched several electric robotaxis

(Newser) - Sunday was a rough day for robotaxis in Los Angeles. Five of Waymo's self-driving vehicles were torched by protesters, and the company has suspended service in downtown LA. The company, a subsidiary of Google's parent company Alphabet, tells USA Today that service was suspended to the area "...

Protesting Residents Resort to 'Stacking the Waymos'
Annoyed Neighbors Resort
to 'Stacking the Waymos'
in case you missed it
Jun 1, 2025 10:33 AM CDT

Annoyed Neighbors Resort to 'Stacking the Waymos'

Persistent beeping from charging stations drives neighbors to get in the vehicles' way

(Newser) - Darius Boorn didn't mind at first when Waymo set up charging stations for its driverless electric vehicles in a parking lot next to his California home. "I thought it was cool," he said, "and then those freaking noises started." In January, the company opened two...

As Tesla Bears Down, Waymo Celebrates a Milestone

Company doubles ridership to 10M in 5 months

(Newser) - Waymo has hit a major milestone, surpassing 10 million paid robotaxi rides as it accelerates its expansion across US cities. As competition heats up in the race for driverless dominance, the ride-hailing company under Alphabet says it's taking "the safest path" to bringing autonomous rides to cities...

The Top 10 Companies That Have Innovation in Spades

Waymo tops Fast Company ranking of the most groundbreaking firms across the globe

(Newser) - There are global firms that aren't only "keeping up," but also "setting the pace." Fast Company has taken a deep dive into the world's most innovative companies, across all major industries, and come up with the best of the best, many of which are...

It's a Risk of Driverless Taxis That May Come as a Surprise

Waymo passengers tell Washington Post of scary harassment, often late at night

(Newser) - Typically, stories about the dangers of driverless cars focus on accidents with other vehicles or pedestrians. But the Washington Post reports on a different type of risk being encountered more and more by Waymo taxi passengers in San Francisco: harassment on the street, often at night. The newspaper spoke with...

Empty Waymo Robotaxi Can't Escape a Roundabout

It's not the first time self-driving Waymos have gone awry

(Newser) - Last month, the folks at Wired shadowed a Waymo robotaxi for an entire workday to "study its movements, its relationship to life on the streets, its whole self-driving gestalt." It's a good thing they didn't track this recently spotted vehicle, because it would've been a...

Waymo Says It's Stopped the Overnight Honking

Vehicles trying to park have been waking San Francisco neighbors

(Newser) - Waymo promises it has made a fix to stop its driverless vehicles from honking at each other in the middle of the night while residents of a San Francisco neighborhood are trying to sleep. It happens when the cars return to a company parking lot, KNTV reports. As they try...

Wednesday Will Be a Huge Day for Waymo

Company is launching paid robotaxi rides in LA

(Newser) - Wednesday will be a huge day for Waymo, Google's self-driving car spinoff. The company says it will add Los Angeles to the list of cities where it is offering paid robotaxi services. The company, which also offers the service in San Francisco, says it has more than 50,000...

Cops: Driverless Taxi Foils Would-Be Car Thief

Suspect in Los Angeles faces charges of grand theft auto

(Newser) - He must have thought it would be the world's easiest car theft: A man in Los Angeles popped behind the wheel of a Waymo driverless taxi in Los Angeles, only to discover that he couldn't make the car go, reports NBC News . Instead, he heard a disembodied voice...

Robotaxis Allowed to Expand Services in San Francisco

State commission gives 2 rival services the green light

(Newser) - California regulators on Thursday approved an expansion that will allow two rival robotaxi services to operate throughout San Francisco at all hours, despite safety worries spurred by recurring problems with unexpected stops and other erratic behavior that resulted in unmanned vehicles blocking traffic, including emergency vehicles. The state's Public...

Waymo Launches Fully Driverless Ride Service

Phoenix vehicles will no longer have backup drivers

(Newser) - Waymo is allowing the general public to hitch a ride in its driverless autonomous vehicles in Phoenix, expanding a service it had been quietly offering to a select group of riders for the past year. The vehicles, which will have no back-up drivers behind the wheel to take over in...

5 Days Into Trial, Uber Reaches Surprise Settlement

Waymo gets a $245M stake in Uber in settlement over driverless technology

(Newser) - Uber is settling a lawsuit filed by Google's autonomous car unit alleging that the ride-hailing service ripped off self-driving car technology. Both sides in the case issued statements confirming the settlement Friday morning in the midst of a federal court trial in the case, per the AP . Google's...

'Safety' Feature in Self-Driving Cars Was Actually 'Pretty Scary'

Waymo thought letting passengers take over controls would be safer—but it wasn't

(Newser) - When Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving car division that started in 2009 as a Google initiative, decided to offer an autopilot "out" for passengers—meaning they could take over the vehicle's controls if a dangerous situation arose—it seemed like a practical and needed feature. But the company's...

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