Waymo Robotaxis Allegedly Contributed to Traffic Gridlock During San Francisco PG&E Power Outage
Waymo's autonomous vehicle fleet reportedly contributed to traffic congestion in San Francisco after a PG&E substation fire cut power to nearly one-third of the city on December 20, 2025. As traffic signals went dark, Waymo vehicles requested remote confirmation checks at scale, creating delays that added to gridlock and prompted city officials to order the fleet off the road. Waymo later paused service and announced software and emergency-response updates.
- Date it happened
- 2025-12-20
- Organisation involved
- Waymo
- Product, system or model
- Waymo's autonomous driving system, Traffic signal interpretation and decision-making system, Remote assistance and fleet management system
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