What's happened
Waymo temporarily suspended its autonomous ride-hailing service in San Francisco following a widespread power outage caused by a PG&E fire. The outage disrupted traffic signals, causing traffic jams and autonomous vehicles to stall at intersections. Service is now resuming as the city restores power and Waymo adjusts its technology.
What's behind the headline?
What the papers say
The Independent reports that Waymo resumed service after the outage, noting the widespread gridlock caused by the power failure and the company's focus on learning from the incident. The New York Times details the suspension of services after the city’s mayor's office intervened due to traffic disruptions, emphasizing the impact on nearly 19,000 power customers and Waymo's expansion since 2023. Business Insider UK highlights social media footage of stalled vehicles and contrasts Waymo's reliance on detailed maps with Tesla's camera-based approach, noting Tesla's claim of unaffected operation during the outage. The articles collectively illustrate the vulnerabilities of autonomous systems during infrastructure failures and the differing technological strategies of major players in the market.
How we got here
In December 2025, a fire at a PG&E substation caused a large-scale power outage affecting roughly 130,000 residents in San Francisco. The outage disabled traffic lights, confusing autonomous vehicles operated by Waymo, which led to traffic congestion and service suspension. Waymo had launched its service in San Francisco in 2023, expanding across several cities, but incidents like software recalls and a fatality involving a Waymo vehicle have raised safety concerns. The outage highlighted vulnerabilities in autonomous vehicle navigation during infrastructure failures.
Go deeper
Common question
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Why Was Waymo's Service Suspended in San Francisco?
In December 2025, Waymo temporarily suspended its autonomous ride-hailing service in San Francisco after vehicles caused traffic jams during a power outage. This incident raised questions about the safety and reliability of self-driving cars during emergencies. Below, we explore what happened, why the service was halted, and what it means for autonomous vehicles in urban areas.
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Are Autonomous Vehicles Causing More Traffic Disruptions?
Autonomous vehicles, or self-driving cars, are often seen as the future of transportation. But recent incidents, like the suspension of Waymo's service in San Francisco due to traffic jams, raise questions about whether these vehicles are actually causing more disruptions on the road. In this page, we'll explore the impact of autonomous vehicles on traffic flow, safety concerns, how cities are managing these challenges, and what improvements we can expect in the near future.
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How Did the Recent Power Outage Impact San Francisco’s Autonomous Vehicles?
A recent power outage in San Francisco caused by a PG&E fire disrupted the city’s infrastructure, including traffic signals and autonomous vehicle services. This incident raised questions about the resilience of autonomous systems during infrastructure failures. Below, we explore how the outage affected autonomous vehicles, what it reveals about their vulnerabilities, and what this means for future urban mobility and emergency response strategies.
More on these topics
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San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco and colloquially known as The City, SF, or Frisco and San Fran, is the cultural, commercial, and financial center of Northern California.
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Waymo LLC is an American autonomous driving technology development company. It is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc, the parent company of Google.