Two teens learn the hard way not to do toy gun drive-bys from a Waymo - Ars Technica

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Two California teens have learned that Waymo’s robotaxis can and will enforce their rider rules on misbehaving passengers. It probably seemed like a marvelous jape—ride around in the back of a robotaxi getting drunk and doing drive-bys, shooting stuff with gel beads. And perhaps it was, until that robotaxi and Waymo worked out what was going on. Waymo then stopped the car and alerted the San Mateo Police, who showed up and detained the troublemakers, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page.

“After calling us and stopping the car, we were able to safely remove both subjects and determined they were shooting Orbeez from the car as they sipped on afternoon libations while being chauffeured around town in the driverless vehicle,” the police wrote.

This isn’t the first instance of a Waymo robotaxi snitching on misbehaving passengers. According to Reddit, last year two men in Los Angeles were reported to the police for drinking inside a robotaxi.

Obviously, 15-year-olds and alcohol are an illegal combination from the get-go. As for adult taxi passengers, in California they are not subject to the state’s open container laws that otherwise ban occupants of a vehicle from consuming alcohol while in motion. Interestingly, ride-hailing passengers get no such dispensation.

But Waymo’s rules are quite clear: No drug or alcohol use is allowed inside its robotaxis, “regardless of whether permitted by local law.”

Then again, the two teens broke a few of Waymo’s other rules, too. For one thing, unless you’re 18 or older, you’re supposed to be accompanied by an adult. You’re also not allowed to throw anything from the car—which presumably includes shooting toy guns out the window—and weapons are also not allowed.

And while the teens might have known their weapon was only a SplatRBall gel bead shooter inexpertly painted black, it obviously looked enough like a real gun when seen via the robotaxi’s internal cameras to set off alarms. (Waymo says it may review in-car video under certain circumstances and that “in more urgent circumstances, Support may access live video during a trip,” so there is no presumption of privacy while riding in one.)

Indeed, as the police noted, “While there was some ingenuity to this scheme, toy guns, water guns, and BB guns all pose real dangers, especially to an untrained eye. The simple handling of them can cause fear in passerby’s or to those who don’t get a good look. Shooting projectiles at speed can cause real damage. And lets not forget the underage drinking. All bad ideas today for these two.”

However, the department did hand it to the teens for at least avoiding a DUI.

Jonathan M. Gitlin

Automotive Editor

Jonathan M. Gitlin

Automotive Editor

Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC.

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