Waymo temporarily halted its robotaxi service in San Francisco due to a power outage that impacted roughly 7,000 Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) customers in the city. The pause in service, which lasted about an hour, was accompanied by restrictions such as the unavailability of freeway routes. This move was made to evaluate the extent of the blackout and to coordinate with local authorities to ensure safety and operational stability.

The disruption came amid a broader outage in San Francisco, prompting Waymo to issue updates to its users explaining the temporary suspension and adjustments. Following the incident, a company spokesperson emphasized their commitment to resuming normal service swiftly, acknowledging the reliance riders place on their robotaxi operations.

This is not the first instance where power outages have affected Waymo’s autonomous vehicle services in San Francisco. Similar interruptions occurred in December when vehicles stalled during a blackout and again on the Fourth of July when a major power issue disrupted traffic during the Golden Gate Bridge fireworks event, highlighting ongoing challenges for the company in managing service continuity during infrastructure failures.

The frequency of such incidents has led San Francisco's Mayor Daniel Lurie to advocate for stronger state regulations governing autonomous vehicle operations during major disruptions. These proposed rules aim to address how companies like Waymo should handle unexpected power outages to prevent service breakdowns and ensure public safety in future emergencies.