--- title: "Waymos Cause Traffic Jams Across City During Power Outage" description: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night will stay these robotaxis of their appointed trips — but a power outage apparently will." date: "2025-12-22" modified: "2025-12-22" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/advanced-transport/waymo-power-outage" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Self-Driving Vehicles" --- # Waymos Cause Traffic Jams Across City During Power Outage ![Footage showed numerous Waymo robotaxis stranded across the streets of San Francisco after a power outage.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images* Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night will stay these robotaxis of their appointed trips — but a power outage apparently will. On Saturday evening, a blackout left nearly a third of San Francisco in the dark. But its most visible casualties were Waymo robocabs, which were left stranded on the city streets like large toys inconveniently discarded by a child. Footage shared online shows numerous Waymos stalled in the middle of busy roads, blocking human motorists. Often, the self-driving cabs were gaggled together, serving to unintentionally cordon off city blocks, their emergency lights blinking in unison. In one [video](), at least five Waymo robotaxis can be seen piled up in the same intersection. It appeared that without traffic lights to guide them, the highly advanced cars were utterly rudderless. "Somebody's gonna set this thing on fire if it doesn't move soon," a pedestrian [observed](), as motorists honked their horns in vain at a frozen Waymo. https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/2002568542835876194 In short, it was a PR disaster. With its cabs going on strike of their own accord, Waymo simply made it official and suspended ride-hailing services that evening following the power outage. It's now resumed rides as of Sunday afternoon. "Yesterday's power outage was a widespread event that caused gridlock across San Francisco, with non-functioning traffic signals and transit disruptions," a Waymo spokesperson said in a statement, [via *CNBC*](). "While the failure of the utility infrastructure was significant, we are committed to ensuring our technology adjusts to traffic flow during such events." https://twitter.com/WhereIsMishaal/status/2002587200681390318 It was an edge case to be sure, but the episode will put a dent in Waymo's image, and perhaps robotaxis at large. Though Waymo [reports a stellar safety record](), the cabs remain controversial with locals due to the disruptions they cause, a sentiment that has reached a boiling point over incidents such as when a Waymo struck and [killed a beloved San Francisco bodega cat](). It's fair to criticize the company for seemingly not having a contingency plan in place for an event like a power outage. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whose self-driving cars have been involved in their fair share of blunders as well as deadly accidents, was quick to make this point by gloating about his own autonomous fleet. "Tesla Robotaxis were unaffected by the SF power outage," he [tweeted](). We don't know if Musk's claim is actually true, but it shows that the Tesla-Waymo rivalry is still in full-swing, even if Musk's automaker remains a distant second. Musk has used Waymo accidents and blunders to [needle the company in the past](), and has shown he [wasn't above some literal dick-measuring](). Still, this is far from the first time Waymos have disrupted traffic. The robotaxis have shown that they can be overwhelmed by events that fall outside their programming, [like a parade]() or a [police standoff](). These aren't easy things to account for — but you might demand better from a company that already has thousands of autonomous cabs operating across the country. **More on Waymo:** [*Waymo Spotted Driving Wrong Way Down Busy Street*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()