A self-driving Waymo taxi sped away from a California airport with a passenger's belongings still locked in the trunk, leaving him stranded without clothes, work materials, or any clear answers on how to retrieve them.
Passenger's Ordeal at San Jose Airport
Di Jin, a businessman from the South Bay near San Francisco, booked his first-ever ride in a driverless cab on Monday. The journey from Sunnyvale to San Jose Mineta International Airport was uneventful, but trouble began the moment the ride ended.
'I pressed the trunk open button, try to get my luggage, but it doesn't do anything, and it drives away immediately,' Jin told NBC Bay Area, describing how the autonomous vehicle made off with his suitcase still inside. Within seconds, the car and everything he needed for his trip were gone.
Jin immediately contacted Waymo's customer support, hoping the vehicle could be turned around. Instead, he was told the robotaxi was already en route back to its depot and could not be stopped.
No Luggage, No Clothes, No Work Notes
With no time to recover his belongings, Jin boarded his flight to San Diego empty-handed. 'So I have no luggage, no clothes to change, and all my work notes are in my luggage,' he explained.
Hours later, Waymo confirmed that his suitcase had been recovered, but what followed only deepened his frustration. A company representative told Jin: 'While we would love to get this item back to you as quickly as possible, Waymo is unable to cover the cost of shipping labels or courier fees.'
Instead, the company offered two options: Jin could pay to have his belongings shipped back, or he could use two complimentary Waymo rides to travel to and from a depot to collect them himself — a two-hour round trip journey.
'It sounded terrible. It doesn't make any sense at all, because it's not my mistake,' Jin said.
Waymo's Policy Under Scrutiny
On its website, Waymo states it 'is not responsible for items left behind in the vehicle after your trip ends and does not provide refunds or reimbursement for the value of lost items.' But Jin argued that this was not an ordinary case of a forgotten item.
'I already told them very clearly it's not lost and found, right? I pressed the trunk open button, and it's just not functioning,' he said.
Waymo's own guidance says passengers can open the trunk by using a button on the vehicle or within the app, and that it should automatically open when a ride ends.
Expansion of Autonomous Taxis
The incident comes as autonomous vehicles continue to expand into everyday travel. In November, San Jose became the first commercial airport in California to allow paying passengers to use Waymo's driverless rides.
Waymo driverless taxis are widely seen as part of the future of transportation, but this incident raises questions about the reliability of their systems and customer service protocols.
