Waymo robotaxi drives off with passenger's luggage at San Jose airport
A passenger in a Waymo robotaxi was unable to retrieve his luggage from the trunk before the vehicle drove away from San Jose airport. Waymo confirmed the luggage was secured at a depot but refused to cover shipping costs for its return, requiring the passenger to either pay for courier fees or collect it in person.
What happened
Di Jin took his first ride in a Waymo robotaxi from Sunnyvale to San Jose Mineta International Airport. Upon arrival at the drop-off point, he attempted to open the trunk using the app interface to retrieve his luggage, but the feature did not respond. The vehicle departed immediately with his suitcase still inside.
Jin contacted Waymo customer support and was told the vehicle had already been routed to a storage facility and could not be redirected. His luggage was later confirmed to be at a local Waymo depot.
Reported impact
Jin was forced to choose between retrieving his luggage or catching his scheduled flight, and chose to proceed with his travel plans without his suitcase. He described the situation as not being his mistake, pointing out that the trunk open button was not functional.
Index analysis
The incident highlights a gap in autonomous vehicle systems regarding physical interactions such as loading and unloading items. Timing, interface responsiveness, and system safeguards all play a role in such scenarios.
Governance controls
Waymo offered to reimburse travel costs if Jin collected his luggage in person from the depot, but did not agree to cover shipping expenses. Waymo stated it was "unable to cover the cost of shipping labels or courier fees."
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.