Driverless Waymo Enters Denver Farmers Market During Setup

Vendors setting up for The South Pearl Farmers Market on Sunday morning encountered a driverless Waymo vehicle navigating through the market area. The incident occurred around 8:15 a.m. MT on South Pearl Street, between rows of tents. The Waymo entered the market before its official opening, bypassing barricades at Washington Street and entering through the food truck area, according to market organizers.

Nicole Jarman, production director for the market, stated one side of the street had a "Road Closed" sign while the other remained open for vendor traffic. The Waymo reportedly followed a vendor's vehicle past the sign and barricades before turning onto South Pearl Street.

Market staff guided the Waymo back onto the street. "There was kind of like commotion. People were like, ‘oh my God, there’s a Waymo driving down,’" said Shari Wilkins, assistant manager of the Pearl Street Market. Theodore Subbotin, farmers market manager for Hearth Denver, noted, "There is no driver or anyone in the car. It’s sort of just like, we have to usher it out. Which is hard to do." No injuries were reported.

A Waymo spokesperson explained the vehicle was en route to a South Pearl Street destination when market setup began. "The trust and safety of the community is our top priority. We are dedicated to learning from this situation as we continue improving road safety in the cities we serve," the company stated.

Current Colorado law offers no recourse against a driverless vehicle. The Denver Police Department and Colorado State Patrol confirmed that without a human driver, state law provides no mechanism for issuing a citation.