Waymo Pauses Robotaxi Service in Cities After Flood
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- Waymo paused robotaxi service in Atlanta, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston after a vehicle got stuck in a flooded street in Atlanta.
- Waymo had issued a recall last week and shipped a software update that restricts robotaxi operation in high‑flood‑risk locations, but the update did not prevent the Atlanta incident.
- NHTSA confirmed it is aware of the Atlanta flood incident and is communicating with Waymo, indicating regulatory oversight of the safety issue.
- Waymo faces separate investigations by NHTSA and NTSB into robotaxis illegally passing stopped school buses, despite a prior fix that failed to stop the behavior.
- NHTSA is also probing a January 23 crash in Santa Monica where a Waymo robotaxi struck a child, with Waymo reporting the vehicle slowed to about six miles per hour before impact.
Why it matters: Riders in Atlanta, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston lose access to Waymo’s driverless service while the firm confronts intensified regulatory scrutiny, as NHTSA and NTSB probe both the flood incident and separate safety lapses involving school buses and a child crash, potentially slowing autonomous‑vehicle rollout.
