Waymo is trying to crack down on children being alone in self-driving cars

By law, independent Vehicles are not permitted to carry unaccompanied minors in California. Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving car company, does not allow children under 18 to ride alone anywhere outside of metro Phoenix, Arizona. But that hasn’t stopped some time-strapped parents from using their own accounts to shuttle their kids to school, extracurricular activities, and even social outings. Some report that the lack of drivers makes them feel safer.

Waymo is working to crack down on the practice, the company confirmed on Friday, after reports of new mid-flight age verification checks began spreading on social media. The company has “policies in place” to help it identify violations of its terms of service, Chris Bonelli, a Waymo spokesman, wrote in a statement to WIRED. “We continue to improve our system and processes to ensure they are accurate over time.” Waymo says violating its terms of service can result in temporary or permanent account suspension.

The company uses cameras inside its cars to ensure that passengers do not violate its rules. Its privacy policy indicates that the company records video inside the car during trips. Waymo says its support staff “may review video under certain circumstances,” and “in more urgent circumstances,” they may access live video during a flight. The company says it does not use facial recognition or “other biometric identification technologies” to identify individuals.

The news comes a month after several California labor groups, including the California Federation of Labor, filed a formal complaint with a state regulatory agency, accusing Waymo of violating the terms of its permit to operate in the state by intentionally transporting unaccompanied minors. The matter was referred to a judge this week. The state is evaluating new rules that could allow solo passengers under 18 in self-driving cars, perhaps similar to a program that allows ride-hailing companies with human drivers to transport minors in California.

So far, many new adults have been caught in the crossfire. On Tuesday, Nicholas Fleischauer, a machine learning engineer in San Francisco, was about five minutes into his Waymo ride when a car called him to support. A voice came over the line asking Fleischhauer to check his age. He told the worker the truth: he was 35 years old. “My hair was wet and messy, and I was carrying a backpack,” he says, explaining why Waymo’s system stands out to him. Additionally, “people have told me I look young for my age.” Fleischur says he takes Waymo weekly, but this was the first time he’d been asked his age.

Since last summer, Waymo has allowed parents in the Phoenix area to set up teen accounts for riders ages 14 to 17. The accounts allow adult and teenage passengers to track their real-time locations during their trips. Waymo says a specially trained team of support agents handle any issues its teen riders may have. Waymo says “hundreds” of Phoenix families use the service each week.

In other Waymo markets across the U.S., adults are allowed to ride with guests under 18, although children under 8 must be in a safe car or booster seat.

Ethan S. reports Klein is 23, but his 26th L.A. Waymo ride on Thursday — along with the music he was listening to — was interrupted by an in-car call from a support agent who asked him, for the first time, to verify his date of birth. Klein is an adult, but his first impulse was almost teenager-like. “I was a little surprised,” he says. “I thought I was in trouble!”