During the power outage on Saturday that impacted more than 125,000 households in San Francisco, Waymo driverless taxis were spotted around the city, stalled at intersections where traffic lights had lost power.
People around San Francisco captured videos of the Waymo vehicles, which at times appeared to be disoriented by the lack of traffic lights and remained stopped at intersections, forcing other cars to navigate around them.
By Saturday evening, a Waymo spokesperson told NBC Bay Area that the company had paused its service due to the power outage.
“We have temporarily suspended our ride-hailing services given the broad power outage in San Francisco,” the spokesperson said.
“We are focused on keeping our riders safe and ensuring emergency personnel have the clear access they need to do their work,” the spokesperson continued.
As of Saturday night, the Waymo spokesperson declined to provide further details, but suggested the company is in close contact with the city. NBC Bay Area has asked Waymo for a status update on this service suspension and is waiting to hear back.