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'.
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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.
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“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.
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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."
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UNILAD has contacted Waymo for further comment.
Topics: Technology, Social Media
Emily Brown