An Alphabet Inc.-backed (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) Waymo customer was reportedly asked by the Robotaxi operator to hail an Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER) or a Lyft Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT) cab after the self-driving cab ended the ride early.
Waymo Ends Ride Early
Sam Schwartz, the customer cited by Business Insider in a report on Thursday, said that Waymo’s support team asked him to get another ride, “probably Uber or Lyft.”
A spokesperson for Waymo cited in the report said that the ride was halted after the company’s operations team learned of a “planned protest activity,” but did not give out further details.
The passenger was issued a refund by Waymo, the report said, but he had to walk back to his hotel with his wife, who has difficulties walking long distances due to health issues, the report added.
The experience left Schwartz doubting the service’s planned expansions to different cities after failing to handle the incident in San Francisco. “It can’t possibly make it in New York,” he said in the report.
Waymo didn’t immediately respond to Benzinga‘s request for comment.
Waymo’s Recall, Flooded Water Incidents
The news comes as Waymo recently issued a recall for over 3,791 autonomous vehicles after a software glitch affecting its latest self-driving stack came to light.
The glitch could likely cause Waymo Robotaxis to drive onto flooded roads, according to a statement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). A Waymo spokesperson responded to Benzinga, saying that the company had “identified an area of improvement regarding untraversable flooded lanes specific to higher-speed roadways.”
Meanwhile, Uber executives have painted AV-only operators like Waymo as less scalable and less reliable than a hybrid approach featuring a combination of human drivers and Robotaxis being offered on ride-hailing platforms.
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