Waymo is Asking DoorDash Drivers To Shut the Doors of Its Self-Driving Cars
4 86Waymo's autonomous vehicles can transport passengers across six cities without a human driver, but the Alphabet-owned company has discovered that its cars become completely inert if a passenger accidentally leaves a door open. The company confirmed that it is now paying DoorDash drivers in Atlanta to close these doors as part of a pilot program.
A Reddit post from a DoorDash driver showed an offer of $6.25 to drive less than one mile to a Waymo vehicle and close its door, plus an additional $5 after verified completion. Waymo and DoorDash told TechCrunch the post is legitimate. The door-closing partnership began earlier this year and is separate from the autonomous delivery service the two companies launched in Phoenix in October. Waymo has also worked with Honk, a towing service app, in Los Angeles on the same problem. Honk users in L.A. have been offered up to $24 to close a Waymo door. Future Waymo vehicles will have automated door closures.
4 comments
Be kind, please rewind (Score: 5, Insightful)
by Baron_Yam ( 643147 ) on Friday February 13, 2026 @10:36AM (#65986662)
The video tape rental business solved this type of issue by billing customers if they returned a tape without rewinding it.
Add an extra charge to a fare if they don't properly close the door. If the door won't close, they can report a fault to avoid the charge. It'll cut down drastically on the need to hire third parties and completely avoid the need to add automatic door closure systems.
Re:Be kind, please rewind (Score: 5, Interesting)
by MikeDataLink ( 536925 ) on Friday February 13, 2026 @10:43AM (#65986676)
The video tape rental business solved this type of issue by billing customers if they returned a tape without rewinding it.
Add an extra charge to a fare if they don't properly close the door. If the door won't close, they can report a fault to avoid the charge. It'll cut down drastically on the need to hire third parties and completely avoid the need to add automatic door closure systems.
This isn't quite the same. A video tape does not block or impede traffic if you don't rewind it. An autonomous car with it's door(s) open does. For these systems to be successful, they need to be able to self correct for errors, including doors left open.
Re:Be kind, please rewind (Score: 5, Funny)
by geekmux ( 1040042 ) on Friday February 13, 2026 @10:53AM (#65986706)
This isn't quite the same. A video tape does not block or impede traffic if you don't rewind it.
..says the Millennial who's never held up an angry Blockbuster line on a Friday night waiting for the only copy of Top Gun to finish rewinding.
"Iceman" in the buzzcut was pissed I got the last rental. Never bicycled faster in my life. Almost took out 7 grannies worth of sidewalk traffic at the bus stop.
Re:Be kind, please rewind (Score: 5, Insightful)
by drinkypoo ( 153816 ) on <drink@hyperlogos.org> on Friday February 13, 2026 @11:09AM (#65986750)
The automotive industry solved this problem with self-closing doors. Waymo somehow didn't figure out that vehicles with this feature should be mandatory for a self-driving car service. This is stupidly obvious.