Woman and passengers locked inside Waymo self-driving car for over five minutes near MoPac Expressway in Austin, Texas, after unexpected stop

Summary

A woman named Becky Levin Navarro and other passengers were locked inside a Waymo self-driving car on Sunday near the MoPac Expressway in Austin, Texas, after the vehicle stopped unexpectedly in a dangerous location. The passengers were unable to exit the vehicle and had to contact customer support, who told them they could not move the car. Navarro said they were stuck for 5 minutes and 11 seconds before being allowed to exit after she threatened to go live on TikTok. The car later suddenly drove past them after they had walked away. The incident was captured in a TikTok video that received over 114,000 views and drew numerous negative comments. Waymo responded by stating passengers can pause rides and exit by pulling the handle twice, and that the vehicle had pulled over on a 30 mph road with a sidewalk.