Waymo Vehicles Halted, Causing Traffic Disruptions Amid San Francisco Power Outage

Waymo’s driverless ride services faced significant disruptions during a recent power outage that swept across large areas of San Francisco. The outage caused cars to freeze mid-ride, leading to chaotic traffic conditions throughout the city.

On Saturday, as traffic lights failed at major intersections, social media was flooded with videos showing numerous Waymo vehicles halted in the streets, their hazard lights flashing in a desperate attempt to signal their predicament.

The power outage, which impacted around 130,000 customers, resulted in the closure of stores and disrupted public transit during the busy holiday shopping season. This included a notable number of Waymo cars, part of Alphabet Inc.’s self-driving taxi service.

Michele Riva, a 30-year-old engineer specializing in artificial intelligence, was en route home in a Waymo vehicle when the outage struck. He recounted how the car continued to move in less crowded areas, even as pedestrians crossed the street. However, just a minute away from his destination, the vehicle abruptly stopped at a “very dense intersection” where traffic lights were non-functional.

“I stayed in the Waymo for a couple of minutes, just to see,” Riva explained. “The problem was that, at the beginning, there were a lot of people crossing the streets because there were no traffic lights. So I believe the Waymo just didn’t know what to do.”

PG&E Corp. attributed the outage to a fire in a substation and began restoring power on Saturday evening. By Sunday morning, they reported that service had been restored to 110,000 customers, although 21,000 were still without electricity.

Related: Waymo Recalls, Updates Software for Over 3000 Vehicles

While stuck in the immobile car, Riva attempted to contact customer support for about three minutes but ultimately gave up due to overwhelming wait times. He decided to exit the Waymo and walk the remaining blocks to his home.

On Sunday, the Waymo app notified customers that service in the Bay Area was paused, affecting at least seven cities. A Waymo spokesperson stated, “Our teams are working diligently and in close coordination with city officials, and we are hopeful to bring our services back online soon.”

Riva attempted to order another Waymo ride on Sunday but was met with the service interruption message. Reflecting on the situation, he remarked, “At the end of the day, I know it was an unpleasant situation for the other drivers, but I believe it really was all about safety — I believe it’s better safe than sorry. I hope they will account for that in the future, because it’s truly a good service.”

Tesla Inc.’s CEO Elon Musk took to X to announce that his company’s robotaxis, a direct competitor to Waymo, were “unaffected” by the power outage.

Photo: A Waymo driverless car unable to detect traffic lights after a major power outage in San Francisco, California, on Dec. 20. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images)

Copyright 2025 Bloomberg.

Waymo’s driverless ride services faced significant disruptions during a recent power outage that swept across large areas of San Francisco. The outage caused cars to freeze mid-ride, leading to chaotic traffic conditions throughout the city.

On Saturday, as traffic lights failed at major intersections, social media was flooded with videos showing numerous Waymo vehicles halted in the streets, their hazard lights flashing in a desperate attempt to signal their predicament.

The power outage, which impacted around 130,000 customers, resulted in the closure of stores and disrupted public transit during the busy holiday shopping season. This included a notable number of Waymo cars, part of Alphabet Inc.’s self-driving taxi service.

Michele Riva, a 30-year-old engineer specializing in artificial intelligence, was en route home in a Waymo vehicle when the outage struck. He recounted how the car continued to move in less crowded areas, even as pedestrians crossed the street. However, just a minute away from his destination, the vehicle abruptly stopped at a “very dense intersection” where traffic lights were non-functional.

“I stayed in the Waymo for a couple of minutes, just to see,” Riva explained. “The problem was that, at the beginning, there were a lot of people crossing the streets because there were no traffic lights. So I believe the Waymo just didn’t know what to do.”

PG&E Corp. attributed the outage to a fire in a substation and began restoring power on Saturday evening. By Sunday morning, they reported that service had been restored to 110,000 customers, although 21,000 were still without electricity.

Related: Waymo Recalls, Updates Software for Over 3000 Vehicles

While stuck in the immobile car, Riva attempted to contact customer support for about three minutes but ultimately gave up due to overwhelming wait times. He decided to exit the Waymo and walk the remaining blocks to his home.

On Sunday, the Waymo app notified customers that service in the Bay Area was paused, affecting at least seven cities. A Waymo spokesperson stated, “Our teams are working diligently and in close coordination with city officials, and we are hopeful to bring our services back online soon.”

Riva attempted to order another Waymo ride on Sunday but was met with the service interruption message. Reflecting on the situation, he remarked, “At the end of the day, I know it was an unpleasant situation for the other drivers, but I believe it really was all about safety — I believe it’s better safe than sorry. I hope they will account for that in the future, because it’s truly a good service.”

Tesla Inc.’s CEO Elon Musk took to X to announce that his company’s robotaxis, a direct competitor to Waymo, were “unaffected” by the power outage.

Photo: A Waymo driverless car unable to detect traffic lights after a major power outage in San Francisco, California, on Dec. 20. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images)

Copyright 2025 Bloomberg.