• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Woman's driverless taxi blocked by men demanding her number in 'terrifying' experience

Home> Technology> News

Updated 13:17 15 Nov 2024 GMTPublished 13:13 15 Nov 2024 GMT

Woman's driverless taxi blocked by men demanding her number in 'terrifying' experience

X user Amina shared footage of her ordeal but praised taxi company Waymo for the way they responded

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

A San Francisco woman has issued a warning to other people after she found her driverless taxi being blocked by men trying to get her number.

Twitter user Amina shared a video of her unnerving experience in a post on September 30, in which she explained she'd been trying to use a driverless car to get to her destination when two men suddenly stopped in front of it.

The company Amina was using, Waymo, offers customers a way to travel in cars without the need for a driver - instead, the autonomous cars can do all the work for you.

Amina made clear that she 'loves' Waymo, but she admitted it was 'scary' when the men stopped in front of the car, leaving it 'stalled in the street'.

Advert

The two men 'demanded that I give my number', Amina said, and she added in a follow-up post that one of the men 'stood in front of the car about a minute before [she] started filming'.

"Then he came around again and the second guy came with him. There was a random guy walking with a blow torch. I was afraid more men would crowd around which thankfully didn't happen," she said.

In the clip, Amina could be seen shouting at the men to move away from the front of the car. The men repeatedly make a 'phone' symbol with their hands, persisting even when Amina shouted 'no' over and over again.

Amina was in a driverless car at the time (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
Amina was in a driverless car at the time (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Advert

“Get out of the way! Move!” she told the men. “Oh my God, get out of the way. I have to go, please stop. You’re holding up traffic!”

Amina said that 'thankfully' the ordeal 'only lasted a few minutes', but she urged other people to be aware of similar situations. After she shared her video, viewers described the ordeal as 'terrifying'.

The Waymo customer added that the company was 'great' at handling the situation, as they called her through the in-car support system to help.

"They also called me to follow up and all around good at solving this problem," Amina added.

Advert

However, while Amina is not against using self-driving cars again the future, she made clear that she will 'be careful taking it alone'.

Waymo responded to Amina's ordeal and said it was 'sorry' for what had happened, adding that it appreciated her 'positive feedback regarding Rider Support'.

“Please know your safety remains our top priority, and we hope you’ll consider riding with us again in the future," the company added.

In a statement to The San Francisco Standard, Waymo added: "Our riders have 24/7 access to Rider Support agents who will help them navigate the situation in real-time and coordinate closely with law enforcement officers to provide further assistance as needed."

Advert

UNILAD has contacted Waymo for further comment.

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@‌Amina_io

Topics: Technology, Social Media

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

2 days ago
3 days ago
4 days ago
5 days ago
  • 2 days ago

    Microsoft boss sparks outrage with shocking advice to employees who are being fired because of AI

    Matt Turnbull has since deleted the controversial post

    Technology
  • 3 days ago

    Man who bought physical Bitcoin bar 13 years ago finally sells it for unbelievable amount

    He paid $500 for the bar back in 2012

    Technology
  • 4 days ago

    Asteroid worth $10,000,000,000,000,000,000 that NASA is capturing could have a devastating impact

    NASA is hoping to capture the highly valuable asteroid in 2029

    Technology
  • 5 days ago

    People are only just realizing what the 'G' stands for in 5G and it's not what you might think

    5G is used by over 1.5 billion every day, but what does the 'G' actually stand for?

    Technology
  • Hacker with 30 years' experience shares the scariest things he's seen on the dark web
  • Adult film star falls to her death after plunging over balcony during shoot with two men
  • OnlyFans star who slept with 100 men in a day breaks down in tears as she details her experience
  • Disturbing live stream captures well known streamers being 'drugged' by 'prostitutes' in attempt to rob them