Waymo suspends service in San Francisco as robotaxis stall during blackout

Waymo temporarily suspended its ride-hailing services in the San Francisco Bay Area following a widespread power outage on Saturday evening that caused numerous robotaxis to stall at roads and intersections. The blackout, reportedly caused by a fire at a Pacific Gas & Electric substation, affected around 120,000 customers, leading to the failure of traffic lights and Muni mass transit. While the exact reason for the dramatic effect on Waymo vehicles was not provided, theories suggest it was due to the downed traffic signals or potential interruptions in cell service or traffic data. Waymo stated its teams were coordinating with city officials and working to restore services soon.

(Source：TechCrunch)