At least two Waymo vehicles stalled during Mayor Daniel Lurie’s crowded inaugural night market in Chinatown yesterday, with one blocking a bus. The event was otherwise a success, with thousands of young people from both in and out of town thronging Chinatown to kick off Lurie’s first day on the job.
Around 6:40 p.m., the first Waymo got stuck at Sacramento Street and Grant Avenue, facing west. The cause was two black limousines double-parked on Sacramento Street. The limousines, which had California exempt license plates, may have been part of the motorcade for Lurie, who was greeting more than 800 guests at a banquet at the Far East Cafe, located half a block away.
The Waymo froze, blocking a 1-California bus and a slew of other traffic, and forced the bus to drop off and pick up passengers in the midst of the intersection, some 100 feet away from its designated stop.
In a couple of minutes, a group of police officers and community ambassadors arrived at the scene. The Waymo was eventually driven away by someone who appeared to be a police officer, after the two black limousines pulled over into the bus lane. The onlooking crowd applauded, and one person shouted, “Here we go!”
Just after 7 p.m., another Waymo stalled at Washington Street and Grant Avenue, in front of Buddha Lounge. A couple of police officers assessed the situation. One officer gained entry to the vehicle and sat in the Waymo’s driver’s seat. He inspected the dashboard for a moment, and nodded in response to questions from colleagues, including, “Are you able to drive?” and “Are you sure?” The officer then drove the vehicle away.
Waymo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This was far from the first time that Waymo vehicles caused a scene in Chinatown. Last February, a group of individuals vandalized and set a Waymo on fire outside of Red’s Place.
Waymo is presently in the midst of an effort to expand to the San Francisco International Airport.
F. Waymo and their yuppie automaton patrons.