What happened
On 4 October 2026, after a Buccaneers game in Tampa, a group of young men took a Waymo self-driving taxi from outside the stadium.
For game day, North Himes Avenue had been turned into a one-way street, with all lanes heading south. The car turned north, straight into the oncoming traffic.
“I thought we were done for a second there,” one rider said. Another shouted, “Guys, like, I’m outta here!” and got out. The car ended up stuck, blocking a lane.
Why it went wrong
The street was only one-way for a few hours, for the game. The car did not seem to know about the temporary change and followed the road as it usually is. Waymo said the car “briefly entered a temporary one-way street” before correcting itself.
Impact
- Nobody was reported hurt.
- The riders left the car in the middle of traffic, which is dangerous on its own.
The lesson
- Roads change for events. Cones, police and temporary signs are normal on game days, and self-driving cars have to read them as well as a person does.
- Have a way out. Riders should always know how to stop the car or reach a person quickly.
- Waymo said it would “learn from” this. It is worth watching whether the same thing happens at the next big game.