By law, freedom Vehicles are not allowed to carry unaccompanied minors in California. They are thereSelf-driving car company Alphabet does not allow children under the age of 18 to travel alone anywhere outside of metro Phoenix, Arizona. But that hasn’t stopped some time-strapped parents from using their accounts to transport their children to school, extracurricular activities and even social outings. Some to have information that the lack of drivers makes them feel safer.
Waymo is working to combat that practice, the company confirmed Friday, after reports of a new mid-ride age verification check began circulating on social media. The company has “policies in place” to help identify violations of its terms and conditions, Waymo spokesman Chris Bonelli wrote in a statement to WIRED. “We continue to improve our system and processes with precision over time.” Violating its terms and conditions may result in account, Waymo, temporary or permanent suspension he says.
That company uses a camera inside his cars to check if the drivers are not violating his rules. His privacy policy notes that the company records video inside the car during the trip. They are there he says its support staff “can review video under certain circumstances” and, “in more urgent situations,” access live video during the trip. That company he says does not use facial recognition or “other biometric identification technologies” to identify individuals.
The news comes a month after several California worker groups, including the California Gig Workers Union, submitted formal complaint to the state regulatory agency, accusing Waymo of violating the terms of its permit to operate in the state by knowingly transporting unaccompanied minors. The case was set before a judge this week. The state is evaluating new laws that would allow only drivers under the age of 18 in driverless vehicles, possibly with a self-driving model. program which allows ride-hail companies and human drivers to transport children in California.
So far, several new-look adults have been caught in the crossfire. On Tuesday, San Francisco machine learning engineer Nicholas Fleischhauer was about five minutes into his Waymo ride when a car connected him to a stop. A voice came on the line asking Fleischhauer to confirm his age. He told the employee the truth: He’s 35 years old. “I had wet hair and a backpack on me,” he says, by way of explaining why he might have been reported by Waymo’s system. In addition, “people have told me that I look young for my age.” Fleischhauer says he uses Waymo every week, but this was the first time he was asked about his age.
Since last summer, Waymo has been allowed parents in the Phoenix area to set up youth accounts for riders aged 14 to 17. Accounts allow teenage riders to track their real-time location during their journeys. Waymo says a specially trained team of support agents handles any issues its young people may have. Waymo says that “hundreds” of Phoenix families use the service each week.
In other Waymo markets across the United States, adults are allowed to travel with guests under the age of 18, although children under the age of 8 must be in a secured car or booster seat.
Ethan S. Klein is 23 years old, but his 26th ride to LA Waymo on Thursday—along with the music he was listening to—was interrupted by an in-car call from a support agent who asked him, for the first time, to verify his date of birth. Klein is an adult, but his first inspiration was as a teenager. “I was a little shocked,” he says. “I thought I was in trouble!”
