WASHINGTON, DEC 22: A recent power outage in San Francisco caused problems for Waymo’s driverless taxis. With traffic lights inactive due to the blackout, Waymo’s autonomous vehicles were unable to interpret the absence of signals on their routes, causing them to stop and become stuck.
The outage affected a large part of the city, disabling traffic lights and other essential infrastructure.
— ABC News (@ABC) December 21, 2025
The difficulties were especially significant in areas where vehicles were moving without manual traffic control, as driverless cars struggled to make safe decisions in such conditions.
Waymo described the situation as dangerous and unsafe, prompting the company to suspend all its taxis. The decision was made to prevent the vehicles from misjudging traffic conditions and compromising safety.
The company stated that its services would remain limited or completely halted until power was restored, ensuring the safety of passengers and other drivers.
