SAN FRANCISCO — Today, the California Gig Workers Union and its affiliates filed a formal complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) alleging that Waymo has been knowingly violating the conditions of its state permit by transporting unaccompanied minors through its autonomous ride-hailing service in California, which raises serious public safety and regulatory compliance concerns.

There is evidence to suggest that Waymo vehicles have transported unaccompanied minors, violating the CPUC’s autonomous vehicle passenger service decision D.20-11-046, intended to prevent such conduct. The complaint argues that if these incidents occurred, they reflect a failure to implement adequate safeguards and a disregard for permit obligations as required by state regulators. 

“Letting minors ride alone in driverless vehicles is a real concern,” said Hector Castellanos, an Uber and Lyft driver and parent from Antioch.  “If something goes wrong, there’s no one there to protect them, comfort them, or make sure they’re safe. It’s against the state’s rules for a good reason.”

Recent media investigations have documented the practice of Waymo’s transporting unaccompanied minors, including in The New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle, showing that Waymo vehicles are transporting unaccompanied minors in Los Angeles and San Francisco and that the issue is not isolated but may represent a broader and ongoing failure by Waymo to comply with California requirements.

The complaint requests that the CPUC determine:

• Whether Waymo violated Decision D.20-11-046 by transporting unaccompanied minors through its commercial autonomous ride service in California.
• Whether Waymo implemented reasonable safeguards to prevent the transport of unaccompanied minors, including age verification measures, rider eligibility controls, or account-level restrictions.
• What enforcement actions are necessary to protect public safety and ensure compliance with California’s autonomous vehicle regulations.

To address the alleged violations and prevent future risks to the public, the complaint asks the CPUC for:

• Suspension of Waymo’s permit to operate autonomous passenger services until the company demonstrates full compliance with its regulatory obligations, pursuant to California Public Utilities Code § 5378(a).
• Financial penalties for past violations pursuant to California Public Utilities Code §§ 2107, 2108, and 5411.
• Establishment of a per-violation penalty framework set at $5,000 per incident for any future violations based on transporting unaccompanied minors.
• Mandatory age verification and account-holder verification for all rides booked through Waymo’s service in California.
• Regular compliance reports to the CPUC detailing the steps taken to prevent the transport of unaccompanied minors.

The filing argues that regulatory standards must be applied consistently across the transportation industry to maintain public trust and ensure that emerging autonomous vehicle passenger services are held to the same, or higher, safety expectations as traditional ride-hailing providers.

“The CPUC should make sure the rules are applied fairly. TNC drivers face deactivation for transporting unaccompanied minors without authorization — applying the same standard to AVs is a matter of basic regulatory equity,” said Janice Jackson, an Uber and Lyft driver from Sacramento. “This isn’t about being against technology. It’s about making sure the rules protect passengers. Just as drivers must follow strict safety rules, autonomous vehicle companies should follow them too.” 

The CPUC is currently engaged in rulemaking on whether autonomous vehicles should be allowed to carry unaccompanied minors in the future, and with what safeguards and conditions in place. Waymo is operating without the safeguards that likely would be required before the prohibition could be responsibly lifted.Waymo, owned by Alphabet Inc., operates autonomous ride-hailing vehicles in 10 major metropolitan areas including the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Sacramento. The AV company’s expansion plans in other areas have been blocked in the state of New York and opposed by the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System.