Waymo halts freeway rides after robotaxis struggle in construction zones
Waymo has temporarily halted its robotaxi service on freeways in several major cities due to difficulties navigating construction zones. The company is working on software improvements and plans to resume these routes soon. Meanwhile, Waymo's robotaxis continue to operate on surface streets in those cities.
- ▪Waymo has suspended robotaxi service on freeways in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Miami.
- ▪The decision follows previous pauses in Atlanta and San Antonio due to flooding issues.
- ▪Waymo is integrating technical learnings into its software to improve performance in construction zones.
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Waymo has suspended robotaxi service on freeways in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Miami as it works to improve performance in construction zones, the company confirmed to TechCrunch on Thursday. Waymo said it’s in the process of integrating “recent technical learnings into our software and expect to resume these routes soon.” Waymo robotaxis are still operating on surface streets in those cities. The decision to pull robotaxis off of freeways follows Waymo’s decision to pause operations in Atlanta and San Antonio, Texas to address problems with flooding in those cities. The company announced a software recall last week that was supposed to help its fleet avoid flooded areas in San Antonio, in which service has been halted for weeks, while it worked on a more permanent fix.
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