Waymo’s Robotaxi Renovation Causes Late-Night Robo-Honking in San Francisco, Upsetting Locals

There’s nothing worse than having your eardrums bombarded by traffic noise when you’re trying to sleep. Recently, some San Francisco residents seem to be suffering this fate, thanks to Waymo. Robot company Alphabet has angered locals, as the company’s vehicles have a habit of honking at each other at night—sometimes for up to an hour.

The issue first gained attention earlier this week thanks to YouTuber Sophia Tung, who lives near Waymo’s parking lot at night. Tung has been posting videos (and even live streaming) of activities in the area. According to him, cars come and go at all hours, arriving around four o’clock in the morning. Recently, these cars have been honking at each other at night, and the sound sometimes continues for an hour, he said. “To be honest, it’s fun to watch the cars come and go,” Tung told The Verge. He also added that “it is definitely a whistleblowing that needs to be resolved.”

When reached for comment by Gizmodo, a Waymo spokesperson clarified that the clapping is the result of a recent update: “We recently introduced a helpful feature to help avoid low-speed collisions by honking if other vehicles get too close while backing up to us,” the spokesperson said. “It was working well in the city, but we didn’t expect it to happen regularly in our parking lots. We’ve updated the software, so our electric cars have to reduce noise so our neighbors can move forward.”

Waymo has worked hard to establish itself as a dominant player in the emerging robotics market. In addition to San Francisco, the company currently has locations in Los Angeles and Phoenix, Arizona, and plans to expand its footprint in other cities and states. This week the company announced that it will begin testing its vehicles on Bay Area freeways, a program that began in Phoenix earlier this year.