TechCrunch reported on Feb. 13 that self-driving car company Waymo is bringing in DoorDash delivery workers to close open doors.
Waymo is running a related pilot program in Atlanta. If a self-driving car is left with its door open, Waymo sends an alert to a nearby DoorDash delivery worker. The delivery worker receives $6.25 for closing the door. The worker gets an additional $5 after completing the task.
A DoorDash delivery worker recently posted an account of the experience on Reddit. Waymo and DoorDash described the pilot as "an attempt to improve the efficiency of self-driving cars."
Waymo says using delivery workers is more economical. If a vehicle occupies the road, it not only disrupts traffic flow but also makes additional operations impossible. Waymo is working with towing service app Honk in Los Angeles, paying up to $24 for door-closing tasks. That is more than twice the level in Atlanta. Waymo plans to introduce an automatic door-closing feature in its vehicles in the future.
Waymo and DoorDash also operate a food and grocery delivery service using self-driving cars in Phoenix.
Chi-gyu Hwang
delight@d-today.co.kr