Driverless Robotaxis Confront the Messy Human Side of Ride-Hailing as Networks Expand

As companies like Waymo scale up their driverless ride-hailing services across U.S. cities, they are increasingly running into the unpredictable realities of ferrying human passengers — from spilled food and vomit to sleeping riders and medical emergencies that have triggered frantic 911 calls. The picture that emerges is of a technology that has largely mastered the road but is still learning how to manage the people inside the car.