Waymo Partners with DoorDash to Solve Door-Left-Open via Pay for Atlanta Pilot (DASH: 03/12/2026)

Waymo (GOOGL) announced on March 12, 2026, a pilot program in Atlanta with DoorDash (DASH) to address vehicles being stranded when passengers leave doors ajar. If so, DoorDash drivers are compensated to manually close the doors to restore service. Waymo will initially rely on human assistance for basic tasks like closing doors, signaling ongoing challenges in fully autonomous operations. Payments have already been made, including a $11.25 bonus in a recent Atlanta incident, with compensation reaching up to $24 in Los Angeles through Honk partners. Waymo, part of Alphabet’s “Other Bets” unit valued at $126B in its latest funding round, reported a $7.5B operating loss for that segment in Alphabet’s 2025 annual report. The unit aims to scale its ride-hailing service to more cities in 2026.