Woman Gives Birth in Waymo Taxi En Route to SF Hospital

A San Francisco woman gave birth inside a Waymo self-driving taxi on Monday while en route to the University of California, San Francisco medical center, according to the company.

The incident occurred as the mother traveled in one of Waymo's autonomous vehicles toward the hospital. Waymo's remote rider support team detected unusual activity inside the vehicle, prompting them to contact the passenger and alert emergency services by calling 911. The company, owned by Alphabet, Google's parent, did not provide details on the specific detection method. The vehicle continued to the hospital, arriving safely with the mother and newborn ahead of responding emergency personnel.

Hospital staff received the pair upon arrival, and both were reported to be in stable condition. Jess Berthold, a spokesperson for UCSF, confirmed the delivery and subsequent care but noted that the mother was not available for interviews.

Waymo took the vehicle out of service immediately after the ride for thorough cleaning. In a statement, a company spokesperson said, "We're proud to be a trusted ride for moments big and small, serving riders from just seconds old to many years young." The company added that...