AUTO-ABSCONDED

Tennis Coach Says Driverless Taxi Took Off With His Stuff

Dan Linley is suing Waymo after one of the company’s driverless cars sped off with his expensive equipment locked in the trunk.

A San Francisco tennis coach says a driverless taxi took off with his expensive equipment still inside—and he still hasn’t gotten it back two months later. On Feb. 7, Dan Linley was dropped off at Golden Gate Park by a Waymo robotaxi, but when he tried to open the trunk to retrieve his tennis rackets and other equipment, it wouldn’t budge. “So I called customer service to see if someone could open the car remotely for me,” Linley told NBC News. “A guy picked up the phone, he was very very nice, and in the middle of him trying to open up the trunk, the car drove away.” Expecting a quick return of his belongings, Linley said they instead vanished without a trace, leaving him unable to teach tennis lessons. And despite repeatedly asking Waymo to either return his gear or reimburse him, he said neither has happened. “It’s unacceptable,” Linley told The San Francisco Standard. “I don’t know how they can’t find this stuff. It didn’t just drive into a black hole.” He is now suing Waymo, seeking $12,500 in damages. Alphabet-owned Waymo, which debuted its driverless Jaguars for public use in San Francisco in 2022, operates a fleet of around 1,000 across California, according to the San Francisco Examiner.