Waymo Resumes San Francisco Robotaxi Service After Blackout-Induced Stalls
On the evening of December 20, 2025, San Francisco experienced a significant power outage that disrupted various city services, including Waymo’s autonomous taxi operations. The blackout, reportedly caused by a fire at a Pacific Gas & Electric substation, left approximately 120,000 customers without electricity. While power was restored to most by late Saturday, about 35,000 customers remained affected into Sunday morning.
During the outage, numerous Waymo robotaxis were observed stalled at intersections and along city streets, leading to traffic congestion as human drivers navigated around the stationary vehicles. In response, Waymo temporarily suspended its San Francisco services to address the situation.
A Waymo spokesperson explained that the blackout resulted in non-functioning traffic signals and transit disruptions, causing gridlock throughout the city. Although Waymo’s self-driving systems are programmed to treat non-operational traffic lights as four-way stops, the extensive nature of the outage led some vehicles to remain stationary longer than usual while assessing intersections. Despite these challenges, the majority of active trips were completed successfully.
By late Sunday afternoon, Waymo announced the resumption of its services in San Francisco. The company emphasized its commitment to adapting its technology to handle such events and to earning and maintaining public trust.
This incident highlights the challenges autonomous vehicle operators face during unexpected infrastructure failures and underscores the importance of continuous improvement in self-driving technology to ensure reliability under various conditions.
