Self-driving cabs Robotaxi company Waymo stops parking lot honking concerts

When Waymo robotaxis occupied a new parking lot in San Francisco, residents were suddenly plagued by honking concerts. An actually helpful function had unexpected side effects.

The nocturnal honking was triggered by a new function in which the self-driving cars honk when someone reverses towards them at slow speed. This worked perfectly in the city, but Waymo did not expect the situation to occur frequently in its own parking lot, a spokesperson told the technology blog "The Verge". The software update will ensure peace and quiet again.

In recent days, a local resident had set up a livestream of the parking lot rented by Waymo and added music to the honking noises. She reported that some of the cars had returned to the parking lot from night-time operations from 4.00 a.m. onwards. Her videos show the driverless robotaxis reversing as they turn in the parking lot, getting closer to the cars behind them, which honk at them.

Waymo offers rides in robotaxis without a human at the wheel in several US cities, and the service is already available in San Francisco without a waiting list.

In recent years, some city authorities and transport companies have complained that the vehicles sometimes block the roads, but the cars are generally on the road without any problems.