Bay Area police officers pull over Waymo robotaxi during DUI operation

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Waymo rides at San Francisco airport will be rolled out in three phases

Waymo rides at San Francisco airport will be rolled out in three phases 02:21

A police department in the Bay Area said over the weekend that they dealt with an unusual circumstance, pulling over a driverless vehicle for a moving violation.

The San Bruno Police Department said they were conducting a grant-funded DUI enforcement operation when officers spotted a Waymo robotaxi making an illegal U-turn in front of them at a light. Officers pulled over the vehicle, which had no human driver behind the wheel.

"That's right… no driver, no hands, no clue," the department posted on social media on Saturday.

🚔 DUI Enforcement… with a plot twist. During a grant-funded DUI enforcement operation, our officers observed something...

Posted by San Bruno Police Department on Saturday, September 27, 2025

Police said since there was no human driver, a ticket could not be issued, saying their citation books "don't have a box for 'robot'." Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet, was contacted by officers.

In a statement to CBS News Bay Area on Sunday, a Waymo spokesperson said the autonomous driving system "is designed to respect the rules of the road."

"We are looking into this situation and are committed to improving road safety through our ongoing learnings and experience," the company added.

Police said there is legislation in the works that will allow officers to issue notices to driverless car companies.

San Bruno is among several communities along the Peninsula where Waymo operates. The self-driving robotaxis are also in operation in San Francisco and in parts of Silicon Valley.

Waymo plans to launch service to both San Francisco International Airport and San Jose Mineta International Airport in the coming months.

Tim Fang

Tim Fang is a digital producer at CBS Bay Area. A Bay Area native, Tim has been a part of the CBS Bay Area newsroom for more than two decades and joined the digital staff in 2006.

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