Waymo Suspends U.S. Freeway Robotaxi Service Over Construction and Flood Issues
Alphabet's Waymo has paused freeway operations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Miami while it updates software. The company also halted service in Atlanta after a robotaxi entered flood water.
Nbc NewsAlphabet's Waymo said on Thursday it has suspended its robotaxi service on freeways in the United States and paused operations in Atlanta as it updates software to improve performance around construction zones and flooded roadways. The suspension affects freeway trips that had been available in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Miami.
Surface-street operations in those cities continue without change.
Waymo also paused service in Atlanta, offered through its partnership with Uber, after an unoccupied robotaxi stopped in flood water on Wednesday. The company had already halted operations in San Antonio, Texas, for weeks while addressing similar flooding problems.
The company announced a software recall last week covering about 3,800 robotaxis after identifying a risk that vehicles could enter flooded roads with higher speed limits.
"We have temporarily paused freeway operations, as we work to integrate recent technical learnings into our software and expect to resume these routes soon," a Waymo spokesperson said in an email. Waymo said it is evaluating and improving performance around certain types of construction zones. The company did not cite a specific incident behind the freeway suspension.
Waymo began offering highway rides in late 2025.
Freeway travel has helped connect riders to airports and shortened trip times across the San Francisco peninsula. The company is testing a new Zeekr-built robotaxi called Ojai and plans to begin offering rides in that vehicle in the coming months. It aims to reach one million paid rides per week by the end of 2026.
Transparency
Clean, factual rewrite focused on company statements and actions with no loaded language, speculation, or misdirection.
Waymo is responsibly prioritizing passenger safety by rapidly updating its software in response to real-world construction and flooding challenges while maintaining core street operations and continuing aggressive expansion.
2 independent outlets report the same core facts. This score blends how many outlets corroborate, their editorial tier, and how closely their facts agree — it measures corroboration, not proof.
Sources framed at 55 → our rewrite 18. We stripped 37 points of framing the sources carried in.
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