‘I can’t get out’: Man trapped in driverless taxi as it goes round and round in circles

8 January 2025, 13:57

A ‘dizzy’ tech entrepreneur nearly missed his flight after his self-driving taxi started endlessly driving around in circles.

Mike Johns had a flight to catch a flight in Arizona when he decided to hail a Waymo driverless taxi last to take him to the airport.

His trip was promptly derailed when the robotaxi began driving in circles, causing him almost to miss his flight.

In a video shared on LinkedIn, Mr Johns can be seen pleading with a customer service worker to fix the malfunction.

"I've got a flight to catch, why is this thing going in a circle, I'm getting dizzy!" he says.

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"I'm really really sorry, Mike," the agent replies.

Speaking to the camera, Mr Johns jokes: "Why has this happened to me on a Monday?"

The disgruntled passenger then tried to stop the car using the Waymo app as the customer service agent did not have the option to stop the car remotely.

Eventually, the robotaxi decided to take him to the airport and he made his flight.

Mr Johns was not charged for his trip, a Waymo spokesperson said.

Waymo taxis have exploded in popularity across the United States in recent years, with the self-driving cab available in Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco and Austin.

The brand claims the cars have 78% fewer road accidents leading to injury than traditional cars.