Runaway Waymo 'stole' passenger's clothes in nightmare ordeal at California airport

By JAMES GORDON, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 06:34, 2 May 2026 | Updated: 06:50, 2 May 2026 A self-driving Waymo taxi sped off with a passenger's belongings still locked in the trunk at a California airport leaving him stranded without clothes, work materials or any clear answers as to how to get them back. Di Jin said what was supposed to be a routine trip to San Jose International Airport turned into chaos the moment he stepped out of the car. The businessman from the South Bay near San Francisco had booked his first-ever ride in a driverless cab on Monday. The journey itself was uneventful but trouble began as soon as the ride ended. 'I pressed the trunk open button, try to get my luggage, but it doesn't do anything, and it drives away immediately,' Jin told NBC Bay Area, describing how the autonomous vehicle made off with his suitcase still inside. Within seconds, the car along with everything he needed for his trip, was gone. Jin said he immediately contacted Waymo's customer support, hoping the vehicle could be make a u-turn.  Instead, he was told the robotaxi was already en route back to its depot and could no be stopped.  Di Jin took his first-ever ride in a driverless taxi from Sunnyvale to San Jose International Airport but the trunk remained locked shut at the end of his ride and drove off with his luggage The ride, operated by Waymo, was otherwise uneventful until the drop-off. Jin said the trunk failed to open when he attempted to retrieve his luggage at the airport San Jose Mineta International Airport, pictured, became the first commercial airport in California to offer paid Waymo driverless rides in November With no time to recover his belongings, Jin boarded his flight to San Diego empty-handed. 'So I have no luggage, no clothes to change, and all my work notes are in my luggage,' he explained. Hours later, Waymo confirmed that his suitcase had been recovered but what followed only deepened his frustration. A company representative told Jin: 'While we would love to get this item back to you as quickly as possible, Waymo is unable to cover the cost of shipping labels or courier fees.' Instead, the company offered him two options: Jin could pay to have his belongings shipped back, or he could use two complimentary Waymo rides to travel to and from a depot to collect them himself  - a two-hours round trip journey. 'It sounded terrible. It doesn't make any sense at all, because it's not my mistake,' Jin said. On its website, the company states it 'is not responsible for items left behind in the vehicle after your trip ends and does not provide refunds or reimbursement for the value of lost items.' But Jin said that it was no ordinary case. Waymo offered Jin two complimentary rides to travel to Waymo's depot and retrieve the luggage himself. The round trip to collect his belongings would have taken over two hours Waymo’s policy states it is not responsible for items left behind after a trip ends The company says trunks can be opened via a button on the vehicle or through its mobile app Waymo driverless taxis are widely seen as part of the future of transportation 'I already told them very clearly it's not lost and found, right? I pressed the trunk open button, and it's just not functioning,' he said. Waymo’s own guidance says passengers can open the trunk by using a button on the vehicle or within the app and that it should automatically open when a ride ends. The incident comes as autonomous vehicles continue to expand into everyday travel.  In November, San Jose became the first commercial airport in California to allow paying passengers to use Waymo’s driverless rides. The Daily Mail has reached out to Waymo for further comment.   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.