Waymo Robotaxis Paralyze San Francisco Streets During Massive Power Outage
San Francisco,CA – A widespread power outage that plunged nearly one-third of San Francisco into darkness on Saturday exposed critical vulnerabilities in the deployment of autonomous vehicle technology,as numerous Waymo robotaxis were rendered immobile,blocking streets and frustrating commuters. The incident has reignited debate over the readiness of self-driving cars to navigate real-world disruptions and raised concerns about their potential to impede emergency services.
The outage, affecting approximately 130,000 homes and businesses, was triggered by a fire at a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) substation on December 20, 2025. As of Monday, December 22, 2025, PG&E crews were still working to fully restore power to affected customers. Amidst the chaos, Waymo’s fleet of autonomous vehicles struggled to cope with the loss of traffic signals, leading to widespread gridlock.
Social media quickly filled with videos depicting Waymo vehicles halting abruptly in intersections, some flashing hazard lights while others simply stopped in the middle of roadways, forcing drivers to maneuver around them. “He seemed extremely frustrated by what was going on,” said one commuter who requested an Uber to the airport, only to have his driver swerve to avoid the stalled robotaxis.
Waymo temporarily suspended service Saturday evening, resuming operations Sunday afternoon. The company stated its vehicles are programmed to treat unlit traffic signals as four-way stops,but acknowledged the scale of the outage presented “unusual conditions.” A waymo spokesperson affirmed the company “closely coordinated with San Francisco city officials” throughout the event.
The incident echoes concerns previously voiced by San Francisco city officials prior to the California Public Utilities Commission’s approval of Waymo’s commercial service in August 2023. Reports had surfaced detailing instances of robotaxis coming to unexplained and abrupt stops, raising questions about their reliability.
Experts suggest the issue wasn’t necessarily a failure of the vehicles’ software, but rather an “operational management failure.” Philip Koopman, professor emeritus at Carnegie Mellon University and an expert in self-driving vehicle safety, explained that the company lacked the capacity to manage the simultaneous assistance requests from a large number of stranded robotaxis. “If you have thousands of robotaxis that stop, you have a problem,” Koopman warned, adding, “What if this had been an earthquake? You would have thousands of robotaxis blocking the road.” He argued Waymo should have suspended service sooner.
Waymo, wich originated as a Google project in 2009, has been rapidly expanding its operations beyond San francisco to cities including Los Angeles, San Jose, and markets in Texas, Arizona, Florida, and Georgia.The company is on track to complete over 14 million rides this year, a figure more than triple that of the previous year.
The disruption has also fueled opposition to the broader expansion of autonomous vehicle technology in california. Shane gusman, director of Teamsters California, labeled the incident “a clear warning that turning our roads and lives over to autonomous vehicles is premature and perilous.” He highlighted the vulnerability of AVs to common California disasters like blackouts, wildfires, floods, and earthquakes, emphasizing the potential threat
Explanation of Changes & Answers to Questions:
* Why did it happen? A fire at a PG
