New Profession: Closing Waymo Robotaxi Doors, Earnings Up To IDR 400,000

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The habit of people leaving robotaxi doors open has spawned a new profession. Waymo is employing people to close the doors of its autonomous taxis that are left open.

One such arrangement is being conducted by DoorDash service workers in Atlanta. These delivery and package platform workers will receive notifications when located near a robot taxi with an unclosed door.

A worker willing to close a Waymo robotaxi door will be paid USD 11.25 or IDR 204,000.

Waymo also partners with roadside assistance company Honk for similar tasks. However, the pay is significantly higher compared to DoorDash, reaching USD 24 or IDR 429,000.

However, this type of work appears to be only temporary. Waymo explained that it is developing an automatic door-closing system.

This type of job reveals limitations in autonomous services. The company still depends on human labour.

This dependence was previously disclosed by the robotaxi service during a United States Senate hearing held in February. Waymo’s head of safety, Mauricio Pena, explained the role of human workers in the company. They provide guidance when vehicles encounter issues that cannot be resolved independently.

“They provide guidance. They do not operate the vehicle remotely. Waymo always maintains control over dynamic driving tasks,” he said before the US Senate Committee, citing Straits Times.

For information, Waymo has been operating in many major American cities. Starting from Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin.

The plan is for Waymo robotaxi usage to continue expanding to Boston, Dallas, Washington DC and London.