Waymo resumes service following San Francisco blackout that left its driverless taxis confused

• A power outage hit San Francisco on Saturday, prompting Waymo to suspend its services.
• A Waymo spokesperson said the company resumed its ride-hailing services on Sunday.
• Videos on social media show stalled Waymo vehicles blocking traffic.

When a power outage hit San Francisco on Saturday, local drivers had to navigate more than just darkened roads and inactive stoplights.

Footage shared on social media shows some Waymo robotaxis stalled in traffic, clogging roadways and causing disruptions. One video on X showed at least five Waymos crowding an intersection, forcing human drivers to maneuver around them.

Waymo suspended its ride-hailing services on Saturday in response to the power outage, which affected about 130,000 Pacific Gas & Electric customers.

On Sunday, a spokesperson for Waymo told Business Insider that the company had resumed its service in the area.

"Yesterday's power outage was a widespread event that caused gridlock across San Francisco, with non-functioning traffic signals and transit disruptions," the spokesperson said. "While the failure of the utility infrastructure was significant, we are committed to ensuring our technology adjusts to traffic flow during such events."

On X, Tesla CEO Elon Musk used the incident to promote his company's own robotaxis. "Tesla Robotaxis were unaffected by the SF power outage," he wrote.

Tesla and Waymo are direct competitors in the autonomous ride-hailing market, but are relying on different technologies to get them there.

Tesla robotaxis use cameras and AI to find their way around. Waymo uses a suite of light sensors, radar, cameras, and detailed maps that are uploaded and regularly updated. That means sudden changes to the areas where a Waymo robotaxi operates could impact its ability to navigate.

Waymo, owned by Alphabet Inc., debuted its autonomous ride-hailing service to the public in 2018 in the Phoenix metro area.

The company has expanded its services to other cities, including Austin and Atlanta, through a partnership with Uber, but it hasn't all been smooth sailing.

In May, Waymo recalled the software for more than 1,200 cars after some collided with "chains or gates." More recently, a Waymo vehicle hit and killed a beloved bodega cat in San Francisco, sparking outrage from residents.