It sounds like something only the San Francisco tech scene could dream up: A newborn’s first-ever car ride takes place without a driver.
But that’s precisely what happened Monday when a woman delivered her child in a Waymo autonomous vehicle while on her way to UC San Francisco Medical Center, hospital spokesperson Jess Berthold confirmed.
While the mother was en route to the hospital, Waymo said its rider support team detected “unusual activity” inside the car, initiated a call to check on the passenger and contacted 911.
The rider, baby and vehicle arrived safely at the hospital.
“We’re proud to be a trusted ride for moments big and small, serving riders from just seconds old to many years young,” the company said in a statement to The Times. “We wish the new family all the best, and we look forward to safely getting them where they’re going through many of life’s events.”
The Times was unable to reach the mother Wednesday.
After drop-off, the vehicle was removed from service so it could be cleaned.
Waymo confirmed this was not the first birth in one of its autonomous cars but did not provide further details.
The company — a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet Inc. — began operating its autonomous ride-hailing service to select riders as a research program on San Francisco’s hilly streets in 2021, and opened service to all in 2024, according to its website.
However, it’s been a bumpy road at times. Waymo vehicles have disturbed local residents by honking at odd hours, and the company drew headlines after one of its robotaxis struck and killed KitKat, a beloved San Francisco cornerstore cat, earlier this year.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has recorded Waymo taxis as being involved in at least 14 animal collisions since 2021.
The agency in October also opened a preliminary investigation into about 2,000 Waymo vehicles to examine the technology around stopped school buses following reports that one of the driverless vehicles had navigated around a school bus while children disembarked.
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