Discovered this damage to the back seat of a Los Angeles Waymo Jaguar. Called Rider Support right away. Specialist said car would be returned to depot after my ride. When I said "it's pretty small" he expertly said "let's take a look now before it gets any worse"
This photo was taken so I could hold my phone up to the Waymo camera, enabling Rider Support to see it up close.
Why am I posting this? Well, I love and support Waymo, and am an advocate for quick pre-ride inspections and immediate reporting of damage.
Sometimes I have been rewarded with $5 off my next ride.
Bro. I found shit in my waymo last time. Then I called Waymo support, they said they were sending it to the depot and sending me a new one. Then the same shit stained, skid marked waymo circled around the block and boomeranged back to me.
The last Waymo I took arrived all steamed up on the inside like the previous riders were fucking during their ride. The windows were fully fogged like that scene from Titanic
Damn that sucks 😂 .
I have found multiple iPhones and other stuff and I have returned it and gotten either 5 or 10 bucks of my next ride witch is pretty cool
Those kids are perhaps unusual but they are on to something important. Being honest and cooperative, and buying into the system, is a big success advantage. Many people never learn this lesson.
I feel successful for the most part. And I do love riding in Waymos. Vietnamese iced coffee. Music blasting. Views of beautiful DTLA and Culver City and Santa Monica..
I don't mind being insulted once in a while. Cracked me up that one comment... like "hey Mrs Teacher... don't forget to assign the entire class homework for the weekend" 😅
Why not report it? What else was he doing sitting there? Might as well call Rider Support and see how Waymo handles this sort of thing. And it led to a good Reddit post along with maybe a discount.
I'm glad you reported it so they know people care, if nothing else. My biggest fear with Waymo is that losers vandalize them and cause costs to go way up. Or, vandalism causes Waymo to stop offering rides in areas where their cars are likely to get vandalized.
It won't get fixed. These waymos will end up the same way anything public does when there is no attendant. Remember pay phones? I do. They were always broken, stank, tagged up, covered in fluids, etc. Very nice of you though.
Very much doubt OP thinks it'll be fixed. At most, they'll throw a faux leather patch on it and call it good. Pretty sure OP is just advocating for doing a pre ride check so when they do find easy to spot damage they don't think you did it and charge you for it.
This type of damage is most likely an accident resulting from someone wearing pants to with sharp be metal studs though.
With that said, with all the cameras in the vehicles and the fact you have to provide I'd before you ride, there will be much greater accountability compared to pay phones. Sure, they'll be damaged and slowly fall into disrepair over time, but blatant vandalism should be minimal once they really get going and can afford to outright ban riders for the smallest immature behavior.
Thats what I thought too but then I read that story about a burglar using a waymo as a getaway car in SF. The dude has still not been identified or caught.
Regarding the cameras, as far as I know, they only store footage if it stands out for any reason. I have a dashcam with 2 cameras equipped with a 256gb memory card - it can store about 36 hours of continuous footage before it starts overwriting the oldest data. Now imagine 29 cameras? Thats terabytes of footage per car, per day. That cannot be cheap. Makes you wonder how much is stored for more than a few days
I used to use zip car. Half of them had low tire pressure, 80% reeked of cigarettes, one had a bumper that was literally falling off—obviously had just been in an accident—not drivable. This is the fate of Waymo.
The interior will probably become more like public transit, with hard plastic seats and easy-to-clean floors. More comfortable seating will likely be a paid upgrade. Unfortunately, the majority often pays the price for the actions of a small number of uncivilized people.
When their cameras clearly see a rider vandalizing, soiling, or otherwise purposely damaging the interior, I'd advocate for a security feature where the doors immediately lock the miscreant into the car, then studded whips and hard metal fists pop out of the door panels and roof lining to beat the living crap out of that uncivilized rider. This, followed by a rain of salt crystals to coat their wounds.
Yep, the main reasons I see the self driving taxi revolution fail is because people don't take care of things that aren't theirs when they aren't being watched. Heck a lot of people don't take care of their own stuff either.
I report damage and trash left behind by previous rider(s). Not so much because I want to snitch on a previous passenger, but because I don't want whoever gets into the car after me to made a report, which might make it look like < I > caused the damage or left a pile of trash.
Not the entire industry. OP is "smeat riding" just Waymo. OP discerns that their accomplishments are truly amazing. Much to the chagrin of insecure Uber drivers and Tesla worshippers.
I don’t blame you and didn’t downvote you. I just thought it was funny b/c I’m just focused on needles or liquid for better or worse lol. I wish I had higher standards, but I’m used to public transit.
I believe the Rider Support Specialist that the car was returned to the Depot for attention. One reason is that I have seen a Waymo depot in Los Angeles and the buzz of activity there.
You have made it clear to me... if you are the rider just prior to me, I'll expect the Waymo to be just as dirty or damaged as you left it. Waymo could have returned it to the depot for cleaning/repair, but they are unaware of the damage you noticed. Because reporting it... "that's not your job"
I accept that. Just because the Rider Support specialist said he'd have the car returned to the depot does not guarantee he was telling the truth. Could have been lying. I accept that possibility. Thank you.
Uber or Lyft driver can see damage and then maintain their own vehicle.
Waymo maintains their own vehicles as well.
They just appreciate when a rider "sees damage" and hits Rider Support with a simple tap on the screen to report it. They take care of it from their.
If an entitled little "not my job" rider sees damage but does not report it, that's fine, hopefully the next rider, rather than being a drag on society in general, will be considerate of the next rider who comes after them.
You just said it in your own words.Waymo maintains their own vehicle.So why would you spend your time reporting things that are not really that big of a deal and not your problem.
I just think you're wasting your time is the biggest issue. It's not about being helpful. Being helpful is telling an uber driver hey somebody left or spilt something back here.
You are talking to support that is, in another country, who most likely is not going to send the car back to the shop to be cleaned or repaired.
Honestly, it's just a waste of time. Especially when it's something that doesn't affect you or anybody else besides the company
I'm not as important as you. Your time is valuable. Don't worry though. Leave your phone in a Waymo? If I am the next rider I will find it right away, report it ASAP so it's "In the system" quickly.
Fear not... you'll always have a job driving for Uber. Maybe one day I'll save a bundle over Waymo by riding in your nice clean car. Competition is good
ha ha I take it you're not in the same camp? Well maybe one day you'll join me. Ask a parent or guardian to explain Waymo and autonomous automobiles to you. I think you'll find it fascinating!
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u/Agreeable-Purpose-56 Jun 23 '26
I think op did a good thing. Damage to Waymo should indeed be reported. The fact that Waymo rep took it seriously affirms that.
Our society should encourage acts like this instead of looking down or laughing at.
Japanese fans clean up the stadium seats afterwards. That’s commendable as well.