TECHNOLOGY

Waymo Services Halted After San Francisco Power Outage

PUBLISHED Dec 21, 2025, 11:05 PM ET

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Waymo Services Halted After San Francisco Power Outage

Media Bias Meter

Sources: 7

Center 100%

Sources: 7

San Francisco — Waymo resumed robotaxi service on Sunday after temporarily suspending operations Saturday when a fire at a PG&E substation cut power to roughly 130,000 customers, causing traffic lights to fail and multiple Waymo vehicles to stop at intersections, blocking streets and prompting the company to pause service. Social media videos showed cars halted in intersections with hazard lights blinking; Waymo said most trips in progress ended normally and that vehicles treat non-functioning traffic lights as stop signs. The company said it will integrate lessons from the event and pursue software updates. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

By James Porter | JQJO News

Timeline of Events

Early 2025–26 school year: Austin ISD recorded at least 20 stop-arm violations involving Waymo vehicles.
November 2025: Waymo informed AISD that affected vehicles had been updated.
Weekend (Dec 2025): A PG&E substation fire caused a widespread San Francisco power outage affecting roughly 130,000 customers.
Saturday evening: Social media and local reports showed multiple Waymo vehicles stopped at dark intersections; Waymo paused operations.
Sunday (Dec 22, 2025): Waymo resumed service and stated it would integrate lessons and pursue software changes.

Media Bias

Articles Published:: 7
Right Leaning:: 0
Left Leaning:: 0
Neutral:: 7

Who Benefited

Waymo, regulators, and safety researchers benefited by gaining operational data, public scrutiny, and impetus for targeted software improvements and coordination with city utilities.

Who Impacted

San Francisco residents, drivers, pedestrians and Austin students experienced traffic disruptions, safety risks, and reduced trust in some autonomous vehicle behaviors.

Media Bias

Articles Published:: 7
Right Leaning:: 0
Left Leaning:: 0
Neutral:: 7
Distribution:: Left 0%, Center 100%, Right 0%

Who Benefited

Waymo, regulators, and safety researchers benefited by gaining operational data, public scrutiny, and impetus for targeted software improvements and coordination with city utilities.

Who Impacted

San Francisco residents, drivers, pedestrians and Austin students experienced traffic disruptions, safety risks, and reduced trust in some autonomous vehicle behaviors.