Waymo Halts Self-Driving Taxis in Five Cities After Safety Issues

Waymo paused its robotaxi service in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Miami, Atlanta, and San Antonio after its self-driving cars struggled with construction zones and flooding. The problems surfaced as the company scaled up operations—moving faster sometimes reveals challenges that weren't obvious during slower testing. Weather and roadwork are uncommon in controlled tests but unavoidable in real-world service.