Uber's delivery robot hit a woman on the street — 10 phone calls later, she realized the government wasn't tracking them
'It kept coming at me, like once or twice more,' Washington said about the 150-pound delivery bot
On May 4, what started as her attempt to report an Uber delivery bot for hitting her pointed to a bigger issue no one had been paying attention to. The autonomous bot collided with 25-year-old Li Gordon-Washington in Philadelphia while she was waiting for the light to turn green at 15th and Locust Streets. While Washington was not injured, she received a minor scratch from the 150 lb bot and felt the need to report the incident. It happened around 7:50 p.m, and Washington told The Philadelphia Inquirer she was wearing dark clothes, but it was not pitch-black for the delivery bot not to see her.
'I didn't see it coming'
Washington described the incident to the news outlet, "I didn’t see it coming. It kept coming at me, like once or twice more." It did not follow her after she walked away, but it made her think about others who could potentially get hit by the fairly heavy machine. "There's a lot of kids here, there's a lot of people who are mobility impaired, the elderly, and dogs. It really bothered me that this happened," which is why she decided to report it to the right authorities.
However, she was not sure which government agency to report to, and the reason why she did not complain directly to Uber or Avride was that she was worried they would not do anything about it. Nonetheless, she called both companies to complain, but they were of no help.
No federal agency 'tracking' bots
Since there was no clear 'ownership' of bot-related complaints, Washington had to spend hours calling people before she found someone willing to accept her complaint. After speaking to a representative of Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, she was told that this was the first official report in Pennsylvania. She also informed the mayor's office and Councilmember Mark Squilla about what happened, and contacted 311, but decided not to file a police report. The spokesperson told Washington that companies using delivery bots should report such incidents to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) within 24 hours. People can also report it themselves by sending an email to pdd@pa.gov. PennDot had the right to suspend the bots if the companies violated or did not meet certain requirements.
It took 10 phone calls and half a day
Washington realized reporting a delivery bot bumping into her was a long process, and many may not bother to go through all the steps to get it reported. She told the outlet, "It took me maybe 10 different phone calls and about half a day’s worth of time to call the people that I did and complain to them and follow up. It took a lot of effort on my part, and I think a lot of people wouldn’t do that." On the other hand, an Avride spokesperson addressed the issue in an email, writing, "Our team has already implemented measures to minimize the likelihood of similar occurrences in the future."
72.6% people dislike delivery bots for one 'humane' reason
In 2023, PYMNTS surveyed 2,000 U.S. consumers to understand their stance on automated delivery bots. 71% of the respondents expressed their disinterest in using bots for delivering food, and they had their own reasons. 72.6% believed that using automated delivery bots displaced human jobs and lacked human interaction, 64.8% are concerned about the reliability and accuracy of their order, 32.8% think delivery rates are more expensive when using a bot, and 32.5% are concerned about their privacy, security, and safety. Cases like Miss Li Gordon-Washington's accident show why these fears may be justified.
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