A union representing ride-hail workers has filed a complaint against Waymo with state regulators, alleging the robotaxi company willfully violated the conditions of its permit by providing service to unaccompanied minors.
The complaint filed Tuesday by the Service Employees International Union — which represents drivers for Uber and Lyft, among other on-demand workers – cites accounts from various news outlets, including the Chronicle, about how parents are increasingly relying on autonomous vehicles for pick-up and drop-off. Those interviewed by the Chronicle said Waymo had given their children more independence while freeing up time for the adults. Many considered robotaxis a safe alternative to other transportation modes.
Now, gig workers are asking the California Public Utilities Commission to suspend Waymo’s permit to operate, and possibly impose fines, until the company proves it can fully comply with state rules. The commission is midway through a process to make new rules and policies for autonomous vehicles, and transport of unaccompanied children is one of the items up for discussion.
In California, the Department of Motor Vehicles issues permits for testing and operation of autonomous vehicles, while the CPUC oversees all commercial ride-hails, self-driving or not. A spokesperson for the DMV was not immediately available to comment on the gig workers’ complaint, though a CPUC representative reiterated that autonomous vehicles are “explicitly disallowed” to carry children without an adult chaperone.
“Right now, you have a situation in which (human ride-hail) drivers can be suspended or disciplined for violating CPUC rules if they transport unaccompanied minors,” said attorney Scott Kronland, who represents the gig workers. “And yet Waymo is doing it and there’s no action. It’s a double standard.”
Spokespeople for Waymo were not immediately available to comment. The company responded to interest from parents and children in another market, Phoenix, by introducing teen accounts for riders ages 14 to 17 — with the stipulation that each be linked to a responsible adult. Whether Waymo could ever replicate that product in California is unclear.
During an administrative proceeding before the CPUC in January, an attorney representing Waymo acknowledged reports that parents were allowing teens to borrow their accounts to book rides on the platform.
“Generally, there are instances that we are aware of, as some of them are publicly reported, where parents have used Waymo for transportation of minors,” said the attorney, Jack Stoddard.
But Stoddard noted that it’s against Waymo’s terms of service for children to ride without an adult, and that anyone who breaches those terms is at risk of an account suspension.
Despite publicly addressing the issue, Waymo’s legal team has argued that CPUC rulemaking proceedings are not the right forum for regulators to raise questions about the company’s handling of unaccompanied minors. So gig workers said they had no choice but to submit a formal complaint.