Waymo fixes honking issue that woke up SF neighbors

The incessant horn blaring from Waymo cars isn't a bug. The company recently introduced a honking feature designed to avoid low-speed collisions, but after it became a nuisance for some San Francisco residents, the robotaxi company has made some tweaks.

Driving the news: San Francisco resident Sophia Tung has been livestreaming a noisy parking lot that houses Waymo vehicles during downtime, The Verge first reported .

• Tung noticed the SoMa lot began filling with robotaxis in late July and has since been disturbed by nightly honking, which "is mainly when they all come back from the charging depot at once, which is unfortunately at around 4am," she told Axios San Francisco .

What they're saying: The "useful feature" entails having the vehicles honk if other cars get "too close while reversing toward us," Waymo spokesperson Christopher Bonelli told Axios.

• "It has been working great in the city, but we didn't quite anticipate it would happen so often in our own parking lots," he added.

What to watch: The issue, however, should be resolved.

• "We've updated the software, so our electric vehicles should keep the noise down for our neighbors moving forward," Bonelli said.

Axios' Claire Reilly and Joann Muller contributed to this story.