Waymo Resumes Robotaxi Services on Highways

Waymo is slowly reinstating its freeway routes in its service area, two months after ceasing operations on high-speed roads due to challenges encountered by its robotaxis in construction zones.

On Wednesday, Waymo posted a message on X detailing the phased reintroduction of freeway routes, beginning with Phoenix—its original market for driverless ride-hailing. Additional cities, including Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, are expected to follow shortly, as indicated by a Waymo representative to TechCrunch.

In an official announcement, Waymo mentioned it is “resuming freeway operations across its service area, including construction zones, after implementing software updates designed to enhance performance in freeway construction settings.”

The software enhancements included better scene detection and routing abilities, as per the company’s statement.

The halt of freeway operations—and its subsequent resumption—occurred amidst heightened scrutiny of Waymo and other robotaxi services, especially concerning these autonomous vehicles’ performance in heavy traffic and interactions with emergency response teams. Earlier this week, Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.) introduced a bill urging federal regulators to establish minimum national safety standards for autonomous vehicle operators, triggered by multiple instances where self-driving vehicles obstructed emergency responders, intruded upon active crime scenes, and ignored safety signals such as traffic cones and flares.

Waymo commenced its robotaxi services on freeways in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles in November 2025, representing a major expansion aimed at attracting riders with shorter commuting times and faster airport access. The company later broadened its freeway routes to Miami.

The expansion had been progressing smoothly until operations were abruptly paused in May, leading to confusion among riders on social media. During this time, Waymo informed TechCrunch of its plan to boost its robotaxis’ performance around construction zones, highlighting its ongoing integration of “recent technical insights into our software” while anticipating a quick restart of these routes.

Weeks later, Waymo voluntarily recalled its fleet of nearly 4,000 robotaxis after identifying at least 13 instances where its vehicles accessed highway sections closed for construction, as reported in a June submission to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A Waymo representative confirmed that no injuries or accidents were connected to these incidents. Nevertheless, following a comprehensive review, the company opted to temporarily restrict freeway operations.

This recall marks the sixth incident involving Waymo’s robotaxis. Previous recalls addressed software adjustments following events where vehicles navigated into flooded areas and exhibited inappropriate behavior near school buses.