Self-driving cars are supposed to make getting around a city easier, especially when passengers don’t have to worry about navigating busy streets themselves. However, one woman’s experience inside a Waymo in San Francisco, California, left her joking that she wasn’t quite ready to become one with the technology just yet.
TikTok creator Aubs (@aubsinthemountains) shared a video documenting an unsettling experience during a ride in one of Waymo’s autonomous vehicles. The video, filmed in San Francisco, was accompanied by the caption, “Please tell your cars that I’m not ready to be uploaded yet,” suggesting that the experience was far from what she expected.
Although the creator’s caption doesn’t explain exactly what the vehicle did, her reference to increasingly loud saxophone music adds a humorous element to what she presents as an uncomfortable situation. The unusual experience quickly attracted attention from viewers, many of whom were already skeptical about trusting a vehicle without a human driver.
Interestingly, the situation didn’t end with the TikTok video, as Aubs later confirmed that she contacted Waymo’s customer support team about the experience. According to her response to a commenter, the company refunded the ride and provided a credit toward a future trip, although she hasn’t established whether she’ll be getting into another Waymo anytime soon.
San Francisco Waymo Passenger Receives Refund After Uncomfortable Ride
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@aubsinthemountains Please tell your cars that I’m not ready to be uploaded yet @Waymo #sanfrancisco #waymo #foryoupage #fyp #sf ♬ Saxophones getting louder – Sped Up – AntonioVivald
In the TikTok video, Aubs shares her experience riding in a Waymo, using humor to express her discomfort with the autonomous vehicle. Her caption references not being ready to be “uploaded,” a joke that plays on the idea of technology becoming a little too involved in everyday life.
While the video prompted plenty of concern about self-driving technology, the post doesn’t explain whether the Waymo experienced a technical malfunction, made an unusual driving decision, or encountered an unexpected road situation. Without further details about what occurred during the trip, it’s difficult to determine whether the experience involved an actual safety issue or simply left the passenger feeling uncomfortable.
However, one viewer asked whether Aubs was still charged for the ride, suggesting she should dispute the payment if the experience was unacceptable. The creator responded, “Support refunded the ride and gave us a future credit!” confirming that Waymo’s customer service team had offered some compensation for the experience.
Comments and Reactions to San Francisco Waymo Ride
Unsurprisingly, the video attracted plenty of criticism from viewers who couldn’t understand why anyone would willingly ride in a self-driving vehicle in the first place. “No way in hell I’m getting in that,” one commenter wrote, while another added, “never ever getting in a Waymo,” making their feelings about autonomous transportation clear.
Others questioned whether these vehicles should be operating on public roads at all, particularly when passengers have limited control over how the vehicle responds to unexpected situations. “How are these things allowed to operate?” one viewer asked, while another joked, “They’re starting to make poor judgment calls just like us humans 🥲.”
Interestingly, another commenter shared a separate experience involving a Waymo becoming stuck sideways while exiting a parking structure, claiming that customer support struggled to resolve the situation. While that account hasn’t been independently verified, it reflects the broader concerns expressed throughout the comments about what happens when an autonomous vehicle encounters a problem that its passengers can’t easily fix themselves.