Waymo is asking DoorDash drivers to shut the doors of its self-driving cars

It still appears like a technological marvel: Waymo’s autonomous cars at the moment are transporting passengers across six cities. Alas, this driverless future comes with its own set of problems. These vehicles might be rendered inert if a passenger by chance leaves the door open.

In keeping with a Reddit post, one DoorDash driver discovered this issue when an odd request appeared of their queue. As a substitute of creating a delivery, the motive force was offered $6.25 to drive lower than one mile to a Waymo vehicle and shut its door. After “verified completion,” they’d get an additional $5.

“You truly ‘door’ dashed,” one commenter noted.

It seems too ironic to be real. Waymo vehicles represent technological breakthroughs that after seemed unfathomable. The Alphabet-owned company just raised $16 billion to take its driverless cars international!

But Waymo and DoorDash confirmed to TechCrunch that this Reddit post is legitimate. That is, in actual fact, an actual problem.

“Waymo is currently running a pilot program in Atlanta to reinforce its AV fleet efficiency. Within the rare event a vehicle door is left ajar, stopping the automotive from departing, nearby Dashers are notified, allowing Waymo to get its vehicles back on the road quickly,” Waymo and DoorDash said in a joint response. (The door-closing partnership, which began earlier this 12 months, is only one facet of Waymo and DoorDash’s broader relationship. In October, the businesses launched an autonomous delivery service in Phoenix, where Waymo vehicles deliver food and groceries to DoorDash customers.)

If a Waymo door is left open, it’s price it to the corporate to pay someone to shut it — the automotive cannot complete any more rides if it’s left immobile. Not to say, an unmoving automotive could block the flow of traffic.

This isn’t the primary time Waymo has enlisted help with its door troubles. In Los Angeles, Waymo works with Honk, an app that’s like Uber for towing services. In keeping with reports, Honk users in L.A. have been offered as much as $24 to shut a Waymo door — greater than double what Atlanta DoorDash drivers receive.

The corporate noted that Waymo’s future vehicles can have automated door closures. But for now, gig employees are Waymo’s best bet.