Waymo is Asking DoorDash Drivers To Shut the Doors of Its Self-Driving Cars (techcrunch.com)
- Reference: 0180787250
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/02/13/1527208/waymo-is-asking-doordash-drivers-to-shut-the-doors-of-its-self-driving-cars
- Source link: https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/12/waymo-is-asking-doordash-drivers-to-shut-the-doors-of-its-self-driving-cars/
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.
[1] https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/12/waymo-is-asking-doordash-drivers-to-shut-the-doors-of-its-self-driving-cars/
we had this a few months back already (Score:3)
perhaps waymo remembers.
[1]https://tech.slashdot.org/stor... [slashdot.org]
[1] https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/12/25/1541258/waymo-pays-workers-22-to-close-doors-on-stranded-robotaxis
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe Slashdot can hire a DoorDash driver to check for dupes.
is forgetting really a thing? (Score:2)
i cannot for the life of me think back to a single instance where i forgot to shut the door to my car. are people actually forgetting or are they just being shitty?
i hope the passenger get a hefty surcharge.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm really hoping it's a case of the door not closing completely - where it's held closed but the car's sensor still reports it as open.
But damn, Waymo. Why don't your cars have the ability to close its own doors, at the very least by human intervention from the warmth of an office after verifying the customer is long gone?
Re: (Score:2)
They likely didn't anticipate it, and it's probably so rare that retrofitting every existing car isn't worth it.
Easy fix (Score:2)
That's an easy fix, for new waymo cars. Next round of cars need to have autoshut doors and auto retracting seatbelts. So best would be to have cars with sliding doors. Or retrofit current cars with motors to close the doors.
Re: (Score:2)
As I understand it, this happens so rarely that even spending $500 on retro-fitting every car isn't justified.
Hmmm... (Score:2)
1. Become DoorDash driver, and follow Waymos when you see them
2. Tell them to leave a door open (not ??????)
ÂÂ. Split the profits!
Sounds like good engineering (Score:2)
Not everything needs to get a clean solution. One that works is often enough, especially when temporary.
I like this approach. It has a certain messy elegance.
You see there are plenty of jobs! (Score:2)
We can all just close doors for a living. That we can be plumbers for the other plumbers. Because it's plumbers all the way down.
Re: (Score:2)
there is always opportunity for more hierarchy
portable water guys -> service water guys -> drain and grey water guys -> sewage/waste water guys.
What could go wrong (Score:2)
> Future Waymo vehicles will have automated door closures.
Given Waymo's excellent record at avoiding problems I'm sure that will be trouble free.
Ironic much ?! (Score:2)
So a human drive a car to an autonomous car to close its door.
What is the point of autonomous driving really ?
You can make a car move autonomously but you cannot swing a door automatically, really ?
Automated door closing? (Score:2)
If it's autonomous shouldn't it be able to close its own doors? Actuators are not that expensive... My trunk is already automated, and has sensors to detect if there's something in the way.
"Accidentally" (Score:2)
The subject is the message.
Good luck (Score:1)
We can't get people to put the grocery park back in the corral
Be kind, please rewind (Score:3)
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: (Score:3, Interesting)
> 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:4, Interesting)
> 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: (Score:2)
I don't know Iceman but I can smell in my memory the blue generic plastic cases.
Re: (Score:2)
Iceman was a character in Top Gun, IIRC. Not sure how it connects with geekmux's story.
Re: (Score:2)
It seems like a trivial problem to solve. Japanese taxis have had this for decades, a little button that opens and closes the door. Catches out many tourists.
Re: (Score:2)
If only this could be solved with like a solenoid...
Appropriate Hitchhikers Guide Quote (Score:3)
"Thank you for making a simple door very happy."
Re: (Score:2)
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.
Re: (Score:1)
Administrative controls are for the dutiful, compliant and circumspect. Always assume you are working to solve every human error or mistake possible (not rational, we're talking junkie and meth head) and expect negligent, criminal and destructive action. Think about this: How many business' doors aren't self closing? How many trains have you been on that don't have automatic doors? When was the last time you rode an elevator with a gate and attendant? The door closing thing is a serious oversight.