Waymo suspended its robotaxi service in San Francisco on Saturday evening after a massive blackout left many of its vehicles stalled on city streets. Numerous photos and videos posted to social media captured Waymo robotaxis stopped at roads and intersections as human drivers were either stuck behind them or had to weave around them.
Waymo stated on Saturday that it had temporarily suspended service in the city due to the blackout. It was not until late Sunday afternoon that a company spokesperson announced service was resuming. The spokesperson explained that the power outage was a widespread event that caused gridlock across San Francisco, with non-functioning traffic signals and transit disruptions. While the failure of the utility infrastructure was significant, the company is committed to ensuring its technology adjusts to traffic flow during such events.
The spokesperson added that Waymo is focused on rapidly integrating the lessons learned from this event and is committed to earning and maintaining the trust of the communities it serves.
The blackout also took down many of the city’s traffic lights and affected Muni mass transit. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie warned residents to stay off the roads unless they needed to travel.
Waymo explained that although its self-driving systems are designed to treat non-functioning traffic lights as four-way stops, the scale of Saturday’s blackout caused some robotaxis to remain stationary for longer than normal as they tried to assess the intersections. The company also noted that the majority of active trips were completed successfully.
The blackout appears to have been caused by a fire at a Pacific Gas & Electric substation in the city. Reports indicate that around 120,000 PG&E customers were affected. While the majority had power restored by late Saturday, 35,000 customers were still without power on Sunday morning.
A letter from Tiger Global Management that leaked earlier this month said Waymo is now providing 450,000 robotaxi rides per week, nearly double the amount the Alphabet-owned company disclosed in the spring.