People Are Having Sex In San Francisco Robotaxis: Report

SAN FRANCISCO — People in the Bay Area are using driverless vehicles for a lot more than getting from Point A to Point B, according to a recent report from The San Francisco Standard.

The publication spoke to four Cruise riders in San Francisco who said they had recently had sex or hooked up in the self-driving vehicles, although the outlet did not find anyone who’d had sex in a Waymo. The Standard changed sources’ names to protect their privacy.

“One thing led to another, and he made sure that I was taken care of, if you will,” a woman named Megan told the publication of her recent Cruise encounter, which occurred while she wore only a robe.

“I was like, ‘I have no underwear on, and I am ready to go in this kimono.’ And I was using his slippers that were like five sizes too big.”

Her partner, Alex, said he has performed no less than six sex acts in autonomous vehicles, according to the Standard.

“In one instance, an individual outside of the car, in another car, looked in and basically had an understanding of what was happening — and he smiled,” Alex told the outlet. “It was not like a negative reaction; it was almost humorous. Certain people have a different threshold of concerns about public ‘situations.’”

In its community rules, Cruise tells riders to, “not engage in activities that are threatening, confrontational, discriminatory, harassing, disrespectful, offensive, or inappropriate toward others, including other riders, motorists and pedestrians while using the Services, whether inside or outside the AV.”

“Take the comfort of others into account — keep volumes to a reasonable level; and don’t do anything in the AV that would potentially make others uncomfortable,” the rules state.

In its privacy policy, Cruise notes the autonomous vehicles are equipped with interior cameras and microphones, “for operations, safety purposes, vehicle maintenance, and support communications, such as when a call is made with emergency response services or customer support.” Interior audio is only recorded during active customer support or emergency response connections.

Could encounters like the one Megan and Alex shared become more common in the future? It’s possible, a 2019 academic article in the “Annals of Tourism Research” posits.

“While SCAVs (shared connected and autonomous vehicles) will likely be monitored to deter passengers having sex or using drugs in them, and to prevent violence, such surveillance may be rapidly overcome, disabled or removed,” the article states.

“Moreover, personal CAVs will likely be immune from such surveillance. Such private CAVs may also be put to commercial use, as it is just a small leap to imagine Amsterdam’s Red Light District ‘on the move’.”