Waymo has resumed its self-driving car service in San Francisco after a major power outage disrupted operations.
The outage struck the city on Saturday, leaving around 130,000 homes without electricity for several hours.
Darkened traffic lights caused serious problems for Waymo’s driverless vehicles across multiple neighbourhoods.
Cars stuck at intersections
Videos shared online showed Waymo cars stopping at intersections with no working traffic signals.
The vehicles appeared unsure how to proceed without clear instructions from traffic lights.
As congestion grew, city officials became concerned about gridlock caused by the halted robotaxis.
City steps in
According to media reports, the San Francisco mayor’s office contacted Waymo during the disruption.
The Alphabet-owned company then suspended its robotaxi service across the city for several hours.
Services restarted on Sunday afternoon once power conditions improved.
Safety systems tested
Waymo said its vehicles are designed to operate during power or network failures.
Each car has onboard batteries and systems meant to handle traffic lights without power.
However, the scale of the blackout forced vehicles to pause longer while assessing intersections.
No injuries reported
City officials confirmed no accidents or injuries were linked to the Waymo disruption.
The blackout affected a city of around 800,000 people, with one-third impacted at its peak.
Cause of outage
Energy provider PG&E said a fire at a power station triggered the outage.
The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management warned of major transport disruptions citywide.
Residents were urged to avoid unnecessary travel during the blackout.
Looking ahead
Waymo said it is learning from the incident and aims to maintain public trust.
The company operates about 1,000 vehicles in San Francisco.
Waymo plans to expand to Europe next year, starting with London.
