Waymo’s Robotaxi Update Causes “Robo-Honking” in San Francisco and Angers Local Population
There is nothing worse than not being able to sleep because your eardrums suffer from traffic noise. Recently, some San Francisco residents seem to be suffering from this thanks to Waymo. The Alphabet robotaxi company has been causing anger in some people living there because their self-driving cars have been honking their horns at night, sometimes for up to an hour.
Waymo’s response to the issue
When contacted by Gizmodo, Waymo clarified that the horn noise was a result of a recent update. They added a useful feature to help avoid low-speed collisions by honking the horn if other cars get too close while reversing. The company has updated the software so that their electric vehicles should no longer honk their horns to avoid disturbing the neighbors.
Waymo’s expansion plans
Waymo has been striving to become a dominant player in the emerging robotaxi market. In addition to San Francisco, the company currently operates in Los Angeles and Phoenix, Arizona, with plans to expand to other cities and regions. This week, the company announced that they would start testing their vehicles on Bay Area routes, a process that began in Phoenix earlier this year.
