A Los Angeles tech entrepreneur, Mike Johns, encountered a bewildering experience last month when a self-driving taxi operated by Waymo began circling a parking lot, nearly causing him to miss his flight to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. This incident, which was reported by both India Times and CNN, highlights potential glitches in the operation of autonomous vehicles.

According to Johns, who posted a video on LinkedIn, the Waymo vehicle drove in a total of eight circles before stopping, leading to a dizzying experience while he attempted to reach customer service. “I got a flight to catch. Why is this thing going in a circle? I’m getting dizzy," he said in a panicked call from the backseat. Despite the unsettling ordeal, Waymo later confirmed that the incident resulted in only a five-minute delay before Johns was able to catch his flight.

Initially seeking to explore autonomous vehicle technology, Johns expressed disappointment at the lack of human interaction following the incident. He noted that Waymo's automated customer service offered no follow-up after the experience, stating, “You’d think by now Waymo would email, text, or call for a follow-up.” He indicated that he now plans to opt for more traditional ride-sharing services like Lyft or Uber in the future.

Waymo defended its technology, stating that it had conducted a software update after the incident and attempted to contact Johns afterward. Moreover, the company has faced several issues in the past regarding its self-driving vehicles, including a recall in June 2024 that aimed to prevent its cars from driving into obstacles, and other incidents reported by passengers regarding erratic behavior.

Johns, who works in artificial intelligence, expressed potential reconsideration of using Waymo in the future, admitting that while he believed in the promise of self-driving cars, experiences like this can lead to hesitancy. As he noted, “Where’s the empathy? Where’s the human connection to this?” His experience echoes growing concerns about the reliability of automated transport services.