As robotaxi riders spill drinks, food and fall asleep, cars call 911

Robotaxi operators including Waymo and Zoox are contending with passenger mess and medical emergencies as autonomous ride-hailing expands, Bloomberg reported. Riders have spilled drinks and food and fallen asleep in vehicles that lack a human driver to monitor behavior, according to the report published July 16. In one instance last year, a passenger named Ditto Kasendar fell asleep in a Waymo in Los Angeles and firefighters opened the door to check on him after the vehicle called 911, the report said. Amazon's Zoox has designed incentives to discourage passengers from trashing cars, Bloomberg reported. The companies are working to address the challenges of serving unpredictable humans without a watchful driver present, according to the report.