In a stunning and deeply unsettling incident, one of Uber’s newly launched autonomous robotaxis — part of its high-profile partnership with May Mobility — veered off its designated route and crashed into a storefront in downtown Houston late Friday night. The vehicle, a self-driving Toyota Sienna outfitted with May Mobility’s cutting-edge AI system, reportedly ignored multiple stop signs and drove on the sidewalk for nearly a block before slamming into a coffee shop.
The vehicle was operating in autonomous mode at the time of the incident, with no safety operator inside — a phase Uber had proudly touted as the “beginning of fully driverless service” just days prior. Witnesses described the scene as “pure chaos,” with pedestrians scrambling to get out of the way. Miraculously, no one was killed, but three individuals suffered injuries, including a teenager with a broken leg and a barista who was struck by flying debris.
Uber and May Mobility immediately suspended all autonomous rides in Houston pending an investigation. “We are deeply concerned about what happened and are cooperating fully with authorities,” said an Uber spokesperson. However, leaked internal emails suggest executives had been warned by engineers of “unpredictable route recalibration” issues just weeks earlier — warnings that were allegedly downplayed to meet the project’s aggressive launch timeline.
According to preliminary data from the vehicle’s black box, the robotaxi attempted to reroute mid-ride due to an internal system conflict between its GPS and environmental sensors. The vehicle then accelerated unexpectedly after misclassifying a fire hydrant as a roadway marker. Experts are now questioning whether the AI’s decision-making framework is robust enough for deployment in complex urban environments.
The incident has reignited fierce public debate over the safety of autonomous vehicles. “This is Silicon Valley recklessness at its worst,” said Rep. Carla Mendes (D-TX), who is calling for an immediate federal halt to all driverless car testing in public spaces. “We’re playing with lives for the sake of profit and tech hype.”
This crash comes just days after Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi called the May Mobility partnership “a revolution