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 either passed them by or were stuck behind them.
Waymo confirmed it had temporarily suspended service in the city due to the blackout. A company spokesperson stated that teams are working diligently and in close coordination with city officials to monitor infrastructure stability, and they are hopeful to bring services back online soon.
The company did not provide an explanation for why the blackout had such a dramatic effect on its vehicles. One possible culprit is that the blackout took down many of the city’s traffic lights. In fact, with the blackout affecting both lights and Muni mass transit, San Francisco’s mayor warned residents to stay off the roads unless they needed to travel. Others theorized that Waymo might have been affected by an interruption in cell service or traffic data.
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, tens of thousands of customers were still without power on Sunday morning.
A leaked investor letter from earlier this month said that Waymo is now providing 450,000 robotaxi rides per week, nearly double the amount the Alphabet-owned company disclosed in the spring.