A Waymo autonomous taxi caused a traffic disruption at a Chick-fil-A location in Santa Monica, California, by becoming stranded in the restaurant’s drive-through lane. Waymo confirmed the occurrence, initially reported by local broadcaster KTLA 5, in an email to TechCrunch.
The company informed TechCrunch that no passengers were present in the vehicle during the incident. The autonomous taxi had previously dropped off a passenger in the Chick-fil-A parking area. However, it was unable to successfully complete a multi-point turn due to the drive-through lane’s proximity and the presence of multiple other vehicles in the constrained space, as noted by the company.
There were no injuries reported, only inconveniences for those waiting to place their food orders.
Incidents involving Waymo’s robotaxis have periodically surfaced, often through videos shared on social media, where these vehicles have impeded traffic or caused disturbances. Over the past year, one Waymo vehicle became stuck in a roundabout, another stalled in front of former Vice President Kamala Harris’ motorcade in San Francisco, and a group of Waymo vehicles honked continuously for up to an hour in the early morning.
Waymo operates a commercial robotaxi service in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles and has expanded its services to Austin through a partnership with Uber.
