Legally, independent vehicles are not allowed to carry unaccompanied minors in California. Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving car company, does not allow children under the age of 18 to ride alone anywhere outside of metro Phoenix, Arizona. But that doesn’t stop some long-time parents from using their accounts to transport their children to school, extracurricular activities, and even entertainment. Some reported that the absence of drivers made them feel safer.
Waymo is working to end the practice, the company confirmed Friday, after reports of a new age-verification test for rides began circulating on social media. The company has “policies in place” to help it detect terms of service violations, Waymo spokesman Chris Bonelli said in a statement to WIRED. “We continue to refine our system and processes to be more accurate over time.” Violating its terms of service can result in temporary or permanent account suspension, Waymo said.
The company uses cameras inside its cars to check if passengers are breaking its rules. Its privacy policy notes that the company records video inside the car during the trip. Waymo says its support staff “can review video under certain circumstances” and, “in emergency situations,” access live video during the trip. The company says it does not use facial recognition or “other biometric identification technologies” to identify individuals.
The news comes a month after several labor groups in California, including the California Gig Workers Union, filed a legal complaint with the state’s regulatory agency, accusing Waymo of violating the terms of its state operating permit by transporting unaccompanied minors. The case was assigned to a judge this week. The state is considering new rules that would allow lone passengers under 18 in driverless vehicles, perhaps modeled on the system that allows ride-hailing companies and human drivers to transport children in California.
So far, a few fresh-faced adults have been caught up in the mess. On Tuesday, San Francisco machine learning engineer Nicholas Fleischhauer was five minutes into his Waymo ride when a car pulled over for support. A voice came on the line asking Fleischhauer to confirm his age. He told the employee the truth: He is 35 years old. “I had dirty and wet hair and a backpack on me,” he explained, by way of explaining why he might have been tagged by Waymo’s system. In addition, “people have told me that I look young for my age.” Fleischhauer says he takes Waymo every week, but this was the first time he was asked about his age.
Since last summer, Waymo has allowed parents in the Phoenix area to set up new accounts for riders ages 14 to 17. The accounts allow youth riders to track their real-time locations during their trip. Waymo says a specially trained team of support agents deals with any issues its young riders may have. Waymo says “hundreds” of Phoenix families use the service each week.
In some Waymo markets across the US, adults are allowed to ride with guests under 18, although children under 8 must be in a secured vehicle or booster seat.
Ethan S. Klein is 23, but his 26th trip to LA Waymo on Thursday—and the music he was listening to—was interrupted by an in-car call from a support agent who asked him, for the first time, to confirm his birthday. Klein is an adult, but his early enthusiasm was almost youthful. He says: “I was a little shocked. “I thought I was in trouble!”
