A major power outage in San Francisco over the weekend caused Waymo self-driving taxis to stop working across the city.
PG&E reported that a fire at a substation caused “significant and extensive” damage, leaving over 100,000 customers without power.
Robotaxis Stopped in the Streets
Social media videos showed Waymo robotaxis halted in city streets and intersections with hazard lights on. Traffic jams grew as drivers navigated around the stopped cars.
Waymo initially paused all service in the Bay Area but has since resumed operations.
City Response to Traffic Disruption
During the outage, traffic signals stopped working, prompting Mayor Daniel Lurie to deploy police officers, fire crews, and city staff to manage traffic.
Some commuter train lines and stations also shut down temporarily.
Waymo’s Safety Measures
A Waymo spokesperson said:
“The Waymo Driver is designed to treat non-functional signals as four-way stops, but the scale of the outage caused some vehicles to remain stationary longer than usual to check intersections.”
This extra caution contributed to traffic friction, though most active trips were completed before vehicles returned to depots.
Power Restoration
PG&E restored power to all but 17,000 customers by Sunday afternoon and expected full restoration by Monday. Waymo confirmed its ride-hailing services have now resumed.
Waymo’s Operations and Expansion
Owned by the same parent company as Google, Waymo operates in San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, Atlanta, Miami, and other Texas cities.
It plans to offer services in London and Washington, DC next year. In 2025, Waymo provided over 14 million trips, triple the number in 2024.
