Why You Might Want To Avoid Using A Robotaxi When Going To The Airport

The saying, "I've been taken for a ride" took on a whole new meaning for a Los Angeles-area man recently when the robotaxi he hired to transport him to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) — known as the friendliest airport in America — wouldn't stop to let him out at his destination. It's the stuff of nightmares. Literally. Dreams about cars and transportation are among the most common experienced by humans. And dreams about being in a car that's out of control, or a driverless car, are some of the most disconcerting twists on the subject, but Mike Johns was wide awake when he found himself held hostage by a driverless robotaxi.

In December 2024, Johns hired a ride via Waymo, the self-driving technology company previously known as the Google Self-Driving Car Project. When the car arrived at the drop-off, it just kept circling — over and over again. We're not sure how many times the car went around before Johns realized something was amiss, but we do know he kept his wits about him, called Waymo customer service for assistance, and had the wherewithal to record the unexpected adventure.

In a video posted on LinkedIn, Johns can be seen calmly explaining the situation to a customer service representative who apologized profusely while attempting to remotely maneuver the vehicle into a parking space. Although Johns maintained his patience, and a sense of humor — at one point he asked the representative, "Has this been hacked? What's going on? I feel like I'm in the movies" — he did make it clear that he expected to be compensated if he missed his flight because the vehicle wouldn't stop. Although the video ends before the runaway car is corralled into a parking space, Waymo told The Guardian the unexpected (mis)adventure was resolved within a few minutes.

Waymo attributed the incident to a software glitch that has since been resolved, and Johns was not charged for the wayward ride. Plus, he managed to catch his scheduled flight to Los Angeles (LAX), one the top airports for celebrity sightings, thanks to a happy coincidence: Johns' flight had been delayed. He also came away from the experience with a great story to tell. Johns, who works in the AI industry, initially thought he was the victim of a prank by his tech buddies. Disturbingly, the AI professional acknowledged that even he wasn't able to discern whether the representative he contacted was human or an AI assistant. Either way, Johns said he's not going to let the experience deter him from using driverless rideshares in the future, telling The Guardian, "As a futurist, I feel like this is where everything is headed so you might as well get there first. It's just we have glitches that need stitches."

Waymo began in 2009 as Google's self-driving car project. In 2017, the company introduced a trial run of the autonomous ride-share service in Phoenix (the Arizona city known for its amazing stargazing) and launched to the general public in 2018. The driverless transportation option is currently available in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas. Although incidents like the adventure Johns experienced in Phoenix are rare, they are not unheard of. In December 2024, The Robot Report cited a study by Swiss Re, a worldwide insurance provider, that revealed nine reported property damage claims and two bodily injury had been filed against Waymo over the course of 25.3 million miles traveled. In comparison, the study said the same distance covered by human drivers would have incurred approximately 78 property damage and 26 bodily injury claims.