Waymo Robotaxi Outage Disrupts San Francisco During Power Failure

On December 20, a major Waymo robotaxi outage brought parts of San Francisco traffic to a standstill when a city-wide power failure caused traffic signals to shut down at several busy intersections. Multiple autonomous vehicles stopped mid-journey with hazard lights activated, creating disruptions during a peak holiday shopping period.
The Waymo robotaxi outage followed a widespread electricity failure that impacted approximately 130,000 customers along with key public infrastructure. With traffic lights rendered inoperable, the autonomous vehicles were unable to safely proceed, prompting Waymo teams to respond directly on the streets to manage the immobilized fleet and ensure passenger safety.
Waymo Robotaxi Outage Triggered by Power Infrastructure Failure
The power disruption was attributed to a fire at a local electrical substation, which significantly affected large areas of the city. Utility crews began restoration efforts on Saturday evening, gradually stabilizing the grid as emergency teams worked to resolve the situation.

• By Sunday morning, electricity had been restored to nearly 110,000 customers, although around 21,000 locations were still without power.

The partial recovery meant that traffic systems remained unreliable in certain zones, complicating autonomous vehicle operations dependent on functioning urban infrastructure.
Service Pause Across the Bay Area
On December 21, Waymo informed customers that its robotaxi operations across the San Francisco Bay Area were temporarily suspended. The pause affected services in at least seven nearby cities, reflecting a cautious approach while coordination continued with city authorities.
According to Waymo, teams worked closely with local officials to assess road conditions and system readiness. By Sunday evening, once traffic signals and power stability improved, Waymo safely resumed its driverless ride-hailing services across the region.
Industry Reactions Highlight Differences in Autonomy
The Waymo robotaxi outage also sparked wider discussion within the autonomous vehicle sector. During the disruption, comments from industry leaders drew attention to contrasting technology approaches in self-driving development.
While some manufacturers highlighted resilience claims, it is important to note that not all systems operate under the same autonomy model. Waymo’s vehicles function without human drivers, whereas other advanced systems still require active human supervision, underscoring fundamental differences in deployment readiness.
Overall, the incident demonstrated how closely autonomous mobility is tied to reliable urban infrastructure and highlighted the operational challenges that fully driverless services must manage during unexpected city-scale disruptions.