Imagine being neighbors with people who often block the parking garage, get stuck in tight areas of the garage, block the entrances and exits, honk the horn late at night, and generally are a nuisance when it comes to driving and parking.
For the residents of a luxury condo complex in San Francisco, this is not a figment of their imagination—it’s the daily reality. The problem is their neighbors can’t talk and therefore don’t apologize. That’s because they’re Waymo robotaxis.
This surreal situation takes place at the Soma Gran condo complex, whose garage has become the home of a fleet of Waymo robotaxis since last year, when the company took up the first two floors of the garage.
Meet The (Clumsy) Neighbors
The San Francisco Standard has spoken to residents who complain that the Waymos are taking up too much garage space and crowd building entrances and exits, with little consideration for those around them.
“It is not just minorly inconvenient. It is insanity,” a Soma Grand renter and garage tenant told the online news outlet. “They brick up, crash out, and block the whole way for 10 to 15 minutes.” The disturbance is so frequent that residents need to plan ahead accordingly and leave house 15 to 20 minutes early to account for the delays caused by the “confused” robotaxis.
When the Waymos leave for the day to pick up riders, a line of up to a dozen robotaxis typically gets formed, blocking human residents in their cars from getting out of the garage. And when the robotaxis return home for charging or cleaning, the rush causes traffic on Mission Street.
And that’s just one part of the problem. Waymo vehicles often get stuck in the garage’s tight quarters, requiring assistance from a worker who then has to get behind the wheel to navigate the cars back in line. Other times, a robotaxi will make tiny turns back and forth as it tries to unblock itself, only to end up more stuck.
Screenshots of a Soma Grand Facebook page shared with The Standard show at least nine residents complaining of autonomous vehicle backups that block entrances and exits. “It’s almost like zombie cars coming back to feed,” said another resident who has rented a spot in the garage for five years. One resident who uses Waymos says “having to coexist with them has been frustrating.”
Waymo Prides Itself On “Being A Good Neighbor”
Waymo told the news outlet its representatives attended an HOA meeting in May 2025. When it moved in, Waymo added free parking for building visitors and additional EV charging stations for residents. In addition, it covered two months of parking costs for residents.
“We care deeply about the communities we serve and pride ourselves on being a good neighbor,” a Waymo spokesperson said. The company also added safety mirrors and speed bumps for traffic control, with one resident labeling the strategy as “aggressive.”
Interestingly, The Standard report notes that after it began inquiring about the issues, Waymo pulled many of its cars from the garage.
Because of all this nuisance, some residents worry property values in the area could be affected. Autonomous vehicle parking has also been a cause for concern for residents as Waymos typically occupy coveted street-parking spots while between rides. That’s no small thing as parking is sparse near the condo building and a spot can cost $300-$400 per month.
