Los Angeles man trapped in circling Waymo on way to airport says he missed his flight home

Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times on Jan 5, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

A Los Angeles man said he recently missed his flight home after getting trapped on his way to the airport in a Waymo that wouldn't stop making circles in a parking lot.

L.A. tech entrepreneur Mike Johns posted a video three weeks ago on LinkedIn of his call to a customer service representative for Waymo to report that the car kept turning in circles and that he was nervous about missing his flight.

"I got a flight to catch. Why is this thing going in a circle? I'm getting dizzy," Johns said. "It's circling around a parking lot. I got my seat belt on. I can't get out of the car. Has this been hacked? What's going on? I feel like I'm in the movies. Is somebody playing a joke on me?"

The customer service representative told Johns to open his Waymo app and that she would try to pull the car over, but seemed to struggle with getting the vehicle to stop.

Johns was returning home from Scottsdale, Ariz., according to a CBS report, which also noted that Johns "nearly" missed his flight.

On his social media post, Johns, who also works on AI initiatives, according to his LinkedIn profile, said Waymo had not followed up with him after the experience.

"You'd think by now Waymo would email, text or call for a follow-up," he wrote. "Nope, customer service is automated and ran by AI."

Waymo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The autonomous car company has been common on San Francisco streets for years, and recently opened its services to all riders after first rolling out a pilot program to select users. The robotaxis launched in L.A. last fall.

Waymo's goal is to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities through autonomous driving technology, and riders and proponents of the service have lauded it as a safe and easy alternative to human drivers.

But there have also been tech glitches and safety concerns during the company's rollout of its robotaxis in several cities.

A man in downtown L.A. on Thursday allegedly attempted to hijack a Waymo and drive away. Police took the man into custody after they eventually got him out of the car.

There have also been reports of riders experiencing harassment by pedestrians who block the car's path and stall the vehicle.

_____