Since Waymo launched its driverless taxi service in Denver on September 1, some riders say the vehicles have already been hit with a messy form of vandalism: eggs.
Two Denver passengers have described being inside Waymos when the cars were targeted, an early indication of the resentment autonomous vehicles can draw.
Here's what to know
Two eggs struck a Waymo windshield while Denver resident Connor McGriff was riding through Lincoln Street near Capitol Hill toward LoDo at about 6 p.m. on October 11, according to The Denver Gazette.
McGriff said he never saw who was responsible, and the robotaxi appeared to keep operating without interruption.
"I was not expecting that," he said. "I didn't know, honestly, that people were that upset about Waymos in the city, and this was actually my first ride in one. I was not expecting that type of attention at all."
Another Denver rider reported a similar encounter. Denver resident Jeff Hunley posted a TikTok video from a Waymo ride that appeared to show a man in a nearby vehicle pulling out a carton of eggs and throwing them at the car. Hunley later contacted Waymo and got a refund.
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@jeffhunley Someone egged my Waymo while I was riding in it 🥚 Downtown Denver, 9am. Everyone's fine, and FOX31 ended up covering it. Has this happened to anyone else? #waymo #denver #robotaxi #selfdrivingcar #colorado
♬ original sound - Jeff Hunley89
Together, those videos suggest the eggings may be part of a wider online pattern as Waymo expands.
More background
Other cities have also seen people target Waymo vehicles.
The LA Times reported an incident where a crowd in San Francisco surrounded an empty Waymo in February 2024, smashing its windows, spray-painting it, and setting it ablaze with a firework. Another unoccupied Waymo was attacked at a red light in Los Angeles in January 2025, and a man was recorded in July pulling internal mechanisms out of a damaged Waymo in East Hollywood.
Arizona experienced similar incidents during Waymo's earlier expansion. The New York Times reported that police documented up to 24 attacks on the company's autonomous Chrysler Pacifica vans in Chandler and suburban Phoenix between 2017 and 2019. Those incidents included slashed tires, shattered glass, rocks thrown at the vehicles, and attempts to drive them off the road.
What is motivating the Denver incidents is still uncertain, though several local driving blunders have added to public frustration. The Denver Gazette has reported that one Waymo drove through the South Pearl Farmers Market, another wound up in a car show during the grand opening of Flat Six Coffee, and a third tried to use a West Colfax street that had been closed for resurfacing.
McGriff said the October 11 episode left him thinking not just about the car, but about whether passengers might also be harassed for choosing the service.
What's being done?
The company had autonomous vehicles running in 15 cities, and 17 more, including Chicago and New York City, were listed as "up next."
The company is moving forward with its multi-city rollout even as some residents question whether robotaxis are safe, disruptive to traffic, or harmful to driving jobs, while others see them as a convenient alternative to human drivers.
According to the Denver Police Department, the Colorado State Patrol, and 9NEWS, Colorado has no way to cite a driverless car for traffic violations, leaving an unresolved gap as autonomous vehicles become more common.
McGriff said he would still consider taking another ride, but the incident changed how he views the intensity of the public reaction to Waymo.
"Not the incident itself, but more the idea that so many people are that upset about Waymos, makes me a little more cautious," he said. "Like, you know, if I get out of one, am I going to get harassed for riding in a Waymo after I get out? I guess it opened my eyes to that, in a sense."
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