American autonomous-driving company Waymo is paying gig-economy workers to help close the doors of its driverless taxis when passengers leave them open.
Waymo operates a fully driverless, 24-hour commercial robotaxi service in several cities in the United States. However, if a passenger leaves a vehicle door ajar after exiting, the car cannot continue its journey until the door is shut.
To address the problem, the company is testing a system that alerts nearby gig workers who can quickly close the door and return the vehicle to service.
Waymo and food-delivery platform DoorDash confirmed to media in a joint statement that they are running a pilot programme in Atlanta. Under the scheme, DoorDash drivers receive notifications when a Waymo vehicle door has been left open nearby.
The companies said future Waymo vehicles are expected to include automated door-closing technology, although no timeline has been announced, according to CNBC.
Waymo is also working with Honk, a roadside-assistance and towing platform, whose users already carry out maintenance-related tasks for the robotaxi fleet.
According to theWashington Post, Honk workers in Los Angeles have been offered payments of up to $24 (€20) to close a vehicle door.
Waymo operates over 1,500 fully autonomous vehicles in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix in the United States.
The Alphabet-owned company is also expanding internationally.
Waymo has started mapping London’s roads with vehicles that have safety drivers, with plans to launch a fully driverless service this year. It also announced plans for testing and future deployment in Japan’s capital, Tokyo.
