The promise of autonomous vehicles is their ability to get people to their destinations while they do other tasks such as reading, sleeping, doing some work or, apparently, getting down to business.
A small but infamous study predicted in 2018 that one of the effects of autonomous technology would be to someday allow more passengers to have sex while driving down public streets. As it turns out, that future is already here.
In San Francisco, where robotaxis can now operate 24 hours a day (and have been available late at night for longer), people are already reportedly doing it in Cruise Robotaxis. The San Francisco Standard reports that it has heard from multiple riders with receipts who say they had sex in driverless vehicles.
“It seems like I’m a trailblazer,” Alex, one of the riders who claimed he did everything from make out to have sex in Cruise autonomous vehicles, told the outlet. “It’s also fun to realize that this is like the first place you can do this in the country – the first [autonomous vehicles] that exist.”
Read: The Ultimate Bonking Machine? BMW Ad Suggests Autonomous Cars Will Spice Up Your Sex Life
Alex and his partner Megan (neither’s full identity was provided for privacy reasons) say that it wasn’t just the novelty that contributed to the experience. The naughtiness of being in a semi-public place (albeit one without a driver) contributed to the experience, though the fog created by their activity apparently made it hard to see in or out.
A word of warning to riders considering getting off before they get out of a robotaxi, there are cameras that face into the vehicles, too. These are used to monitor the vehicles for cleanliness and safety. Although neither Cruise nor Waymo seem to have official rules against sex in their vehicles, they do ask passengers to avoid engaging in acts that could “potentially make others uncomfortable.”
“We’re working hard to make sure our service is safe, clean, and open to everyone, and riders agree to do their part when they sign up to use our service,” a Cruise spokesperson said. “We will take appropriate action against anyone who violates those guidelines.”
That has gotten some riders into trouble for doing things like consuming alcohol from an open container in a robotaxi, which is expressly forbidden. So far, none of the riders have reported receiving warnings from Cruise or Waymo (which also operates in the city). However, it may be worthwhile to remember that even if there are no other people in the vehicle, they aren’t ever really alone.
