Waymo’s driverless taxis have spent the past year as San Francisco’s favorite punching bag. They’ve blocked fire trucks, pulled a forbidden U-turn straight in front of police, and, in one infamous case, killed a neighborhood cat named Kit Kat. It’s been a rough PR arc for a machine that isn’t supposed to feel shame.
This week, though, Waymo managed something human for once. A San Francisco woman gave birth inside one of the self-driving cars while en route to UCSF Medical Center. According to a company spokesperson, the vehicle’s support team flagged “unusual activity” during the ride, reached out to the passenger, and alerted 911. The taxi still made it to the hospital ahead of emergency services, proving that even without a driver, it was very motivated to get where it was going.
Waymo didn’t explain how the car knew something was happening, though the company has acknowledged it uses internal and external cameras and microphones. Alphabet, Waymo’s parent company, offered no further details, which feels about right for a tech firm trained to share only the necessary facts and none of the fun ones.
San Francisco Woman Gives Birth Inside a Self-Driving Waymo
UCSF confirmed that both the mother and the baby were brought to the hospital safely, though the mother declined to be interviewed. Waymo took the car out of service for cleaning — the least shocking detail in the story. The company did add that this wasn’t the first baby born in one of its taxis. Hidden beneath all the memes about malfunctioning robot cars is a steadily growing résumé of real human milestones.
“We’re proud to be a trusted ride for moments big and small,” Waymo said in a statement reported by ABC News, “serving riders from just seconds old to many years young.” Companies love this kind of line, but in this case, it’s technically accurate. A newborn really did enter the world in the back of a robot.
The taxis themselves are gaining popularity even as they rack up scrutiny. Riders can now take Waymos on freeways across San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. Critics remain unconvinced, especially after September’s illegal U-turn incident and October’s cat tragedy, both of which cemented the cars as the city’s most polarizing commuters.
People will keep fighting about what these cars mean for San Francisco, but this ride offered a rare outcome no one could litigate. A baby arrived, a robot didn’t malfunction, and—for once—the headline wasn’t a disaster report.
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