Overview
- Waymo executives told San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors that robotaxis stalled nearly 1,600 times during the Dec. 20 power outage and apologized for falling short of company standards.
- A filing to the California Public Utilities Commission documented 1,593 stoppage events that day after earlier resistance to publicly share the total.
- The company said many vehicles sought a human “confirmation check,” which created a backlog for a fleet overseen by about 70 remote operators.
- Waymo reported software updates to better handle intersections with dark signals and plans new training for first responders dealing with immobilized vehicles.
- City officials and labor groups pressed for tougher limits as accounts described blocked traffic and impeded emergency access during the blackout.