{"id":296026,"date":"2026-05-02T03:16:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T03:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/296026\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T03:16:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T03:16:11","slug":"runaway-waymo-that-dropped-passenger-at-california-airport-is-every-travelers-worst-nightmare-its-not-my-mistake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/296026\/","title":{"rendered":"Runaway Waymo that dropped passenger at California airport is every traveler\u2019s worst nightmare: \u2018It\u2019s not my mistake\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Bay Area businessman\u2019s first ride in a driverless Waymo turned into an airport nightmare when the robotaxi<\/a> allegedly sped off with his luggage still locked in the trunk \u2014 leaving him stranded without clothes, work materials, or answers<\/a> before a flight to San Diego. <\/p>\n

Di Jin said his Monday trip from Sunnyvale to San Jose Mineta International Airport went smoothly until he arrived at the terminal and tried to retrieve his suitcase.<\/p>\n

\"Di<\/p>\n

Di Jin said his Monday trip from Sunnyvale to San Jose Mineta International Airport went smoothly until he arrived at the terminal and tried to retrieve his suitcase. NBC Bay Area<\/p>\n

\u201cI pressed the trunk open button, tried to get my luggage, but it doesn\u2019t do anything, and it drives away immediately,\u201d Jin told NBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The stunned passenger immediately contacted Waymo customer service<\/a>, only to be told the autonomous vehicle was already heading back to its depot and could not return.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The stunned passenger immediately contacted Waymo customer service, only to be told the autonomous vehicle was already heading back to its depot and could not return. NBC Bay Area<\/p>\n

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Left with nothing but frustration, Jin boarded his business flight empty-handed.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I have no luggage, no clothes to change, and all my work notes are in my luggage,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Later that day, Waymo emailed Jin to confirm that his luggage had been safely recovered at its local depot, but the ordeal forced him to continue his trip without his essentials, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The company added that if Jin didn\u2019t want to pay for shipping, he could instead accept two complimentary Waymo rides to fetch his belongings from the depot himself. NBC Bay Area<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we would love to get this item back to you as quickly as possible, Waymo is unable to cover the cost of shipping labels or courier fees,\u201d a support team representative wrote.<\/p>\n

The company added that if Jin didn\u2019t want to pay for shipping, he could instead accept two complimentary Waymo rides to fetch his belongings from the depot himself.<\/p>\n

Jin felt it was unfair to pay for shipping or to spend over 2 hours on a round-trip to San Francisco just to reclaim his lost items.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt sounds terrible,\u201d Jin said of the options Waymo provided him. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t make any sense at all, because it\u2019s not my mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mishap highlights the growing pains of self-driving travel. Just this week California moved to allow police officers to ticket autonomous taxis \u2014 passing legislation that will finally allow the vehicles to be cited<\/a> for moving violations.<\/p>\n