A group of women in Miami attempted to skirt Waymo rules by adding a fifth passenger. Unfortunately, they weren't able to get past the vehicle’s monitoring system. Now they're wondering how Waymo knew what they were up to. TikTok creator Girthmaster (@tinywaistlargebutt) posted a video from the self-driving taxi over the weekend. The video is currently approaching 5 million views. The video starts mid conversation between Girthmaster and Waymo support. “The moment the extra person is out of the car I can adjust it,” the support representative says. Girthmaster says, “She is out of the car now.” The rep responds, “I’m afraid she’s not. If you continue … we might cancel the trip.” Viewers React To Waymo Discovering Group’s Fifth Passenger In the comments section of the video, viewers weighed in on the group’s strategy, Waymo’s ability to discover it, and gave their overall reviews of the service. “The car was like ‘There’s Waymo people in the car,’” joked one viewer. Tell us what you think! View Comments “Waymo is absolute garbage,” said a second viewer. “Is someone watching you while you’re in the car?” asked a third person. “How do they know?” Someone else noted, “Girlie, there’s like 26 cameras in that car.” Another person said, “‘I don’t see her.’ Please, I’m crying.” How Did Waymo Know There Were 5 Passengers? Google, the owner of Waymo, doesn’t hide the fact that its autonomous vehicles are equipped with cameras and microphones, and they’re there for several reasons. The cameras are there so Waymo can make sure the cars stay clean between rides, find lost items, provide help in case of emergency, improve products and services, promote safety and security, and … check that in-car rules are being followed. The company clarifies that it isn’t listening in on passengers’ conversations and denies that it uses facial recognition or other biometric identification technologies to identify passengers. But if a passenger does get flagged for breaking the rules, a support team member can review the video and in some cases even terminate the trip. In terms of the rules, Waymo currently allows a maximum of four total riders, and in some cases just three. And all of the seats are available except for the driver’s seat. Someone posted a thread to Reddit/s r/Waymo last month asking about a Waymo that appeared to have someone seated in the driver’s seat. Multiple people said it was likely an approved test driver. “Waymo cars are full of cameras and sensors, and passengers are not allowed to sit in the driver’s seat,” said one person. “If they tried, the car would pull over immediately and support would come on and tell them they are breaking the terms and conditions. I guarantee you it’s a test driver.” Motor1 contacted Girthmaster via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We also contacted Waymo via press email for comment. We'll update this article if either responds. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team
