SF Chronicle – Waymo pauses San Francisco service as massive PG&E outage hits traffic lights
The robotaxi company said it temporarily adjusted service for about an hour as it assessed the scale of the outage.
Editors note: Waymos still cannot handle power outages???!? What else can they still not handle (stopped school buses, freeways, animals, etc)?
See original article by Aidin Vaziri at SF Chronicle
Waymo resumed service in San Francisco on Saturday after temporarily pausing rides during a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. outage that knocked out power for nearly 9,400 customers and affected traffic signals in parts of the city.
The company said it temporarily adjusted service for about an hour as it assessed the scale of the outage and coordinated with local officials. Waymo said it continued serving riders in most of its Bay Area service territory and urged customers to check the app for the latest service updates.
The pause came as San Francisco emergency officials warned that a power outage was affecting traffic signals in parts of the Richmond District and Presidio.
“We’re sorry for the inconvenience — please check back again soon,” a message on the Waymo app said during the pause. Another message warned that trips could be longer than usual.
The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management urged drivers to expect delays, consider alternate routes and treat dark traffic signals as four-way stops.
A PG&E spokesperson said the outage affected about 9,400 customers and began around 9:20 a.m. An earlier alert had incorrectly shown more than 120,000 customers affected.
Power was expected to be restored by 2:30 p.m., according to PG&E. The cause of the outage was not immediately clear.
Saturday’s disruption came as Waymo was already facing renewed scrutiny from San Francisco officials. Mayor Daniel Lurie urged state transportation officials this week to develop new standards for autonomous vehicles during major events and emergencies after Waymo vehicles contributed to a July Fourth traffic meltdown near the Presidio and northern waterfront.
City officials have also pointed to a December blackout in San Francisco, when Waymo robotaxis stalled nearly 1,600 times after traffic lights went dark during a widespread PG&E outage.
See original article by Aidin Vaziri at SF Chronicle
