Picture this: you land at San Francisco International, you’re exhausted, you’ve got three rolling suitcases, and your ride pulls up… two miles from the airport, on a quiet residential street lined with parked cars and confused neighbors peeking out their windows. That’s not a bad dream. That’s reality for a growing number of Waymo passengers in San Bruno, California, where the self-driving cars have developed a strange habit of dropping travelers off blocks away from where they actually need to be.
Residents of the 500 block of Seventh Avenue say it’s been happening for about two weeks, and it’s only getting more frequent. One neighbor counted 29 Waymo vehicles cruising through on a single Sunday. Another day it was five. Either way, that’s a lot of empty robotaxis and stranded travelers for one small residential street that happens to be the closest one to SFO, even though it’s still a solid three miles and about a 10 minute drive from the terminals.
The stories neighbors are sharing sound like something out of a travel nightmare compilation. One gentleman was reportedly headed all the way to Switzerland when he got let out on Seventh Avenue instead of the airport. Another passenger, saddled with three suitcases, simply threw in the towel and said he’d walk the rest of the way. For the record, that’s roughly a 20 minute hike down a busy road with luggage in tow, not exactly the seamless airport experience anyone signs up for.
It’s not just about wayward passengers either. Neighbors say the Waymos have taken to parking in the neighborhood for extended stretches, sometimes blocking driveways entirely. One resident described a Waymo parked squarely across a driveway while a young woman inside the house tried to leave, with neighbors left literally yelling at the car to move.
A Neighborhood That’s Seen This Before
If video won’t load, click here to watch.
This isn’t San Bruno’s first rodeo with airport parking overflow. City officials say the area has dealt with decades of spillover issues, and there’s even an existing ordinance on the books that bars vehicles for hire from parking on residential streets.
Councilmember Marty Medina says the city has been in touch with Waymo about the recent uptick and is working to set up a call to address it directly.
Waymo Responds
A Waymo spokesperson said the company was able to resolve the immediate issue thanks to rider feedback submitted through the app and outreach to rider support.
Neighbors, understandably, say they’ll believe it when they see it, and they’re keeping an eye on whether the robotaxis actually stay off their block going forward.
Viewers are also outraged: “Illegal to block driveways. Call and get them towed. Tow companies would be happy with the extra income and a lesson for Waymo.”
What’s Next
For now, the ball is in Waymo’s court. City leaders and the company are expected to connect directly, and Medina has floated the idea of directing the vehicles to vacant city parking spots instead of residential curbs.
Whether that fixes the wayward drop-offs or just the parking headaches remains to be seen, but with 29 cars showing up on a single street in one day, San Bruno residents are hoping for a permanent fix rather than a quiet workaround.