Waymo robotaxi service restored in San Francisco after power outage disrupted operations

Waymo's robotaxi service has been restored in San Francisco after a power outage reportedly disrupted operations over the weekend.

It came to light that the power blackout in San Francisco on Saturday evening left many Waymo vehicles stalled on city streets, which prompted the company to suspend its service temporarily.

The Waymo service outage in SF led to social media flooding with images and videos showing robotaxis stuck at intersections, causing traffic jams as human drivers navigated around them.

A Waymo spokesperson confirmed that the service had resumed by late Sunday afternoon, as reported by TechCrunch.

The spokesperson explained that it was a widespread power outage that resulted in gridlock across San Francisco with non-functioning traffic signals and transit disruptions.

Following the reinstation of its autonomous robotaxi service, Waymo assured its commitment to adapting its technology to manage traffic flow during such events.

Despite the challenges, the company explained that the most active trips were completed successfully, adding that Waymo’s self-driving systems are designed to treat non-functioning traffic lights as four-way stops. However, the scale of the power breakdown led to some vehicles remaining stationary longer than usual while assessing intersections.

What caused power outage in San Francisco?

The power blackout in San Francisco was said to be triggered by a fire at a Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) substation, affecting around 120,000 customers.

This incident underlines the challenges and reliability of autonomous vehicle operations in urban settings.