I just saw a TikTok a few days ago claiming that someone got into a Waymo only to find there was human feces inside of it. Now, I’ve been inside Waymo plenty of times and never seen any poop. In fact, they’ve all been extremely clean and comfortable. And that’s coming from someone in Downtown Los Angeles, where the human feces runs rampant.
However, it seems this TikTok isn’t anything new. Apparently, Waymo has been known to be full of s*** for a while now.
Bay Area Current interviewed an anonymous “Robotaxi Handler” who shared just how gross this whole autonomous taxi thing really is. “Yeah, typically that’s when there’s the most throw-up, the most disgusting things in the back. Even poop, there’s a lot of cleaning up poop,” they said while talking about cleaning up a Waymo during the morning shift.
Of course, the immediate reaction is to say EW, HUMAN POOP! I’M NEVER GETTING IN A WAYMO AGAIN! In fact, that’s what my friend said to me the other day after seeing all these TikToks about poop-filled Waymo.
However, the Bay Area Current’s article is very biased. Even with an interview, it still reads as an op-ed. The article discusses Waymo’s “poor labor practices” and its lack of autonomy. It discusses the “Robotaxi Handler” receiving poor pay. It ends with the handler saying everyone should poop inside Waymo at the same time to protest. I personally found it very entertaining and well-written, but not the most reliable.
Is Waymo actually full of s***?
I’m not about to do a deep dive investigative piece into poopy Waymo vehicles. But a quick online search will tell you that this article is really the only one that reveals how full of s*** Waymo is. I couldn’t find any additional proof, discussions, or video evidence of other people encountering poop while riding.
I’m not saying this disproves that Waymo is super dirty and nasty and that nobody should ride in one, but I’m also saying there’s no proof that Waymo is super dirty and nasty.
Noted one Reddit user with the same thoughts as me: “This could have been a great article and could have highlighted real issues if it wasn’t so obviously anti-technology/Waymo.”
My friend who showed me the dirty Waymo hit piece also seems very skeptical of Waymo. They have always refused to use it. That’s valid, but it also seems to go hand in hand: those who hate Waymo believe that Waymo is literally full of human poop.
When they showed me the video, I responded: “I’ve seen my friends vomit in a Lyft, and I doubt those are cleaned up as well as a Waymo.”
While I initially said it as a “gotcha,” I just looked it up, and there are actual legit studies that claim rideshares are full of germs.
The study stated: “Of the vehicles we tested, rideshares yielded the highest bacteria levels by far – more than 6 million CFU/sq. in. on average. The rental cars averaged more than 2 million CFU/sq. in., while the taxis had an average of just over 27,000 CFU/sq. in. To put it in perspective, rideshares averaged almost three times as many germs as a toothbrush holder. Toilet seats and coffee reservoirs both contained fewer microorganisms than rideshares and rental cars.”
In a Reddit post discussing the cleanliness of rideshare vehicles, one proud driver said they cleaned their SUV twice a week. This was applauded by a very impressed group of Redditors. And I agree, cleaning your own car twice a week is a lot. However, the Waymo are cleaned every morning. Maybe the person cleaning the vehicle is underpaid or hates their work conditions or whatever, but the fact still remains that Waymo vehicles are cleaned even more than Lyft and Uber vehicles.
Again, this is not a deep dive. I’m not claiming this is a ton of research or investigation. But I think we can use common sense to conclude that Waymo isn’t actually constantly filled with human s*** and dirtier than other rideshare vehicles. I think we can confidently add that most people who talk s*** about Waymo just don’t like the concept of an autonomous car and believe that it’s full of rowdy, pooping humans since there is nobody there to watch them.
Are people pooping in Waymo? Yeah, probably a few times. Are people pooping in other rideshares? Yeah, probably a few times. Is it a massive problem that actually deserves an article? Probably not. Did it deserve this article? Meh, probably not.
