California woman gives birth inside self-driving Waymo taxi
A pregnant woman gave birth inside a self-driving Waymo taxi this week as she was heading to a hospital in California, the company said.
The woman was on her way to the University of California, San Francisco medical center on Monday when Waymo’s rider support team noticed unusual activity inside her vehicle, contacted 911 and called to check on the passenger.
She ultimately delivered the baby inside the self-driving vehicle, Waymo told Fox News Digital.
“We’re proud to be a trusted ride for moments big and small, serving riders from just seconds old to many years young,” a Waymo spokesperson said. “We wish the new family all the best, and we look forward to safely getting them where they’re going through many of life’s events.”
Waymo, which is owned by Google’s parent company, Alphabet, declined to elaborate on how the vehicle knew something was amiss.
The company has said it has cameras and microphones inside as well as outside the cars.
The mother, baby and vehicle arrived safely at the hospital ahead of emergency services, Waymo said.
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Jess Berthold, a UCSF spokesperson, confirmed to The Associated Press that the mother and child were brought to the hospital.
Waymo said the vehicle was immediately taken out of service for cleaning after the ride. While still rare, this was not the first baby delivered in one of its taxis, the company added.
The news comes after Waymo issued a voluntary recall of its self-driving cars after Texas officials reported at least 19 incidents of the vehicles passing stopped school buses.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Wednesday asked Waymo to explain the Texas incidents by Jan. 20.
Footage provided by the Austin Independent School District shows at least 19 incidents since the school year began in which Waymo vehicles traveled past stopped school buses with flashing red lights and stop arms deployed, while pedestrians were visibly walking in nearby streets and crosswalks.
Fox News Digital’s Sophia Compton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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