- Waymo vehicles have received 83 parking citations totaling more than $9,300 in Austin.
- Most violations involved tow-away zones, unpaid meters, and double-parking incidents.
- The fines come as regulators push robotaxis to better respond to emergencies.
Driverless Waymo taxis can be quite impressive. Some data even suggests that they’re safer than human drivers. True or not, there’s one part of driving they still can’t seem to crack. Parking. Now, a new report indicates that Waymo has racked up more than $9,300 in parking tickets since it went live in Austin in 2024. As robotaxi fleets grow, these seemingly minor infractions are becoming increasingly difficult for cities to ignore.
The Ticket Tally
According to The Wall Street Journal, which obtained city records through an open records request, Waymo vehicles have received 83 parking citations totaling $9,325. The company has already paid $7,433 of those fines, while another $1,892 remained outstanding as of July 15. A further breakdown exposes some of the issues these robotaxis struggle with.
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The majority of the citations, 64 in total, were issued for parking in tow-away zones. Another 13 tickets stemmed from unpaid parking meters, while nine were for double parking. The single largest fine came on September 11, 2024, when one of Waymo’s Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis parked in a space reserved for disabled drivers, resulting in a $519 citation.
Austin issues parking tickets to vehicles rather than drivers, meaning Waymo is responsible for paying the fines just like any other registered owner. “We do not expect different treatment [in regard] to ticketing,” a Waymo spokesperson told the publication. That’s a solid angle for a company seemingly struggling to fix the problem. What’s less comforting are the niche cases.
When It Gets Worse Than A Meter
You see, some incidents went beyond routine parking enforcement. Police reportedly had one Waymo towed after it stopped partially blocking an active railroad crossing in January 2025. Another vehicle reportedly waited for a passenger while occupying a disabled parking space outside an elementary school. Residents have also filed complaints through Austin’s public reporting system. In one case, a Waymo allegedly sat outside a church parking garage for more than five minutes during Sunday services, preventing vehicles from entering or leaving.
At this point, the company says it tries to have its vehicles park in legal parking spaces when not in use sometimes. Clearly, the taxis pick the wrong spot at times. For now, it sounds as though Waymo will just continue to pay the tickets as they continue to roll in.
