Waymo is paying people $24 just to close the door for passengers who've ordered a ride
Published on Feb 27, 2026 at 11:18 AM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Feb 27, 2026 at 11:18 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Molly Davidson
Waymo is paying people $24 just to close the door for passengers who’ve ordered a ride.
Yes, really.
In some cities, if a rider hops out and forgets to shut it, the robotaxi can’t move again until a human fixes it.
So now, instead of a driver, the gig economy gets dispatched to finish the job.
DISCOVER SBX CARS – The global premium auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
Gig workers are getting paid to close robotaxi doors
Waymo’s robotaxis are fully autonomous.
That means no steering wheel hero, no driver up front, just cameras and computers doing all the work.
However, there’s one very normal, very human problem: the doors don’t close themselves.
If a passenger jumps out and forgets to shut it, the car can’t continue its trip.
So in Atlanta, GA, some DoorDash drivers have been getting job offers that literally say close a Waymo door.
One screenshot showed $6.25 upfront, plus $5 after completing the task.
Over in Los Angeles, CA, contractors using an app called Honk have reportedly made up to $24 for doing the exact same thing.
That’s solid money for a few seconds of arm movement – although some workers say it can take a while to actually find the car.
And if the vehicle needs towing, as was the case during a San Francisco power outage that left several cars stuck, the payout can jump to around $80.
Waymo spokesperson Katherine Barna has said the issue is ‘not too common,’ adding that the company is working on educating riders to close the doors properly.
In other words: please shut the door behind you.
Click the star icon next to supercarblondie.com in Google Search to stay ahead of the curve on the latest and greatest supercars, hypercars, and ground-breaking technology
It’s part of a much bigger Waymo rollout
Door drama aside, Waymo is expanding fast.
The company already runs fully autonomous commercial rides in 10 US cities, including San Francisco, Miami, Austin, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.
More cities like Dallas, San Antonio, and Orlando are next in line.
There have been a few awkward moments along the way.
During that San Francisco blackout, traffic lights stopped working and Waymo cars had to deal with thousands of dark intersections.
The company admitted it created a backlog and traffic jams.
At the same time, Waymo has partnered with DoorDash to deliver food in Phoenix, AZ using driverless cars, calling it part of a ‘multimodal autonomous future of local commerce.’
Which sounds impressive.
Still, for all the high-tech sensors and AI brains, these cars can cruise across town by themselves – they just can’t quite manage a door.
The future is autonomous.
It just occasionally needs someone to give it a push.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
With roles at TEXT Journal, Bowen Street Press, Onya Magazine, and Swine Magazine on her CV, Molly joined Supercar Blondie in June 2025 as a Junior Content Writer. Having experience across copyediting, proofreading, reference checking, and production, she brings accuracy, clarity, and audience focus to her stories spanning automotive, tech, and lifestyle news.
