Waymo Halts Robotaxi Service in San Francisco Amid Massive Blackout, Cars Reportedly Block Traffic

PRISM Insight: This incident is a stark reminder that the world's most advanced autonomous systems are only as resilient as the legacy infrastructure they run on. The failure wasn't in the AI's driving ability, but in its response to a city-wide system shock. For smart cities to truly work, the focus must shift from isolated tech prowess to integrated, fault-tolerant ecosystems.

Waymo suspended its driverless robotaxi service in San Francisco on Saturday night after a major power outage plunged nearly a third of the city into darkness. According to The San Francisco Standard, the blackout was caused by a fire at a Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) substation, leaving residents without power for hours.

During the outage, San Franciscans began sharing photos and videos on social media showing Waymo vehicles that appeared to be stopped in intersections, causing traffic congestion. In response, Waymo announced that evening that it had suspended service due to the power failures, as reported by Mission Local.

“We have temporarily suspended our ride-hailing services in the San Francisco Bay Area due to the widespread power outage,” Waymo spokesperson Suzanne Philion told Mashable in an emailed statement. “Our teams are working diligently and in close coordination with city officials, and we are hopeful to bring our services back online soon.” However, the company didn't specify what percentage of its fleet was impacted or provide a technical reason for why the driverless vehicles stopped working during the blackout.

This is the latest in a recent series of incidents putting Waymo's reliability under scrutiny. Just this month, a viral video showed a driverless Waymo seemingly driving straight into oncoming traffic. In a separate event, a Los Angeles woman discovered a stranger hiding in the trunk of her Waymo. The company also issued a software recall following reports of its cars illegally passing school buses in Austin. This follows a wave of criticism back in November, when a Waymo vehicle struck and killed a beloved neighborhood cat in San Francisco.