Waymo Shuts Down San Francisco Operations Following Power Outage

Waymo has announced it will be making “temporary adjustments” to its robotaxi services in San Francisco due to a power outage that has reportedly affected around 7,000 PG&E customers in the region.

A recent social media post shared a screenshot revealing that Waymo is informing San Francisco customers that service is currently “temporarily paused” and that “freeway routes are not available.”

When TechCrunch reached out to the Alphabet-owned company for a comment, a spokesperson stated, “We are making temporary adjustments to our service as we evaluate local conditions. We understand that riders depend on us, and we strive to resume normal operations as soon as possible.”

This is not the first time power outages have impacted Waymo’s operations. Several Waymo vehicles were rendered inoperative on city streets during a blackout in December, and a similar issue disrupted traffic during a fireworks event at the Golden Gate Bridge on Independence Day.

In response, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has called for stricter state regulations to “adequately address how autonomous vehicles operate during major incidents, whether they are planned or unplanned.”