San Francisco outage: Waymo halts service as stranded vehicles cause major traffic meltdown; videos emerge
Posted on: Dec 21, 2025 13:51 IST | Posted by: Hindustantimes
Amid monumental power outages across large areas of San Francisco, Waymo announced Saturday, December 20, that it was stopping service after videos shared online showed its autonomous vehicles snarling traffic. The blackout has left about 130,000 customers without electricity.
“We have temporarily suspended our ride-hailing services given the broad power outage in San Francisco,” wrote Suzanne Philion, a company spokesperson, a little after 7 pm, according to Mission Local. “We are focused on keeping our riders safe and ensuring emergency personnel have the clear access they need to do their work.”
Read More | San Francisco outage: When will power be restored? Here's what PG&E said
With traffic lights across the city down due to the outage, drivers were seemingly left confused. Many halted their vehicles in their tracks.
Videos and photos that have surfaced on social media show fleets of Waymo stuck in traffic. Take a look:
Officials have been unable to provide a specific time for when power will be restored. Pacific Gas & Electric simply said in an X post that “ restoration is possible later today, though we are not able to confirm just yet.”
Read More | San Francisco power outage map: Check out areas that lost power amid massive PG&E outages
PG&E has not confirmed a cause for the massive outages, but the San Francisco Fire Department said that there is an ongoing fire at a PG&E substation at 8th and Mission Streets. SFFD received a call about the fire at 2:16 pm on Saturday, SFFD Lieutenant Mariano Elias said, as reported by The San Francisco Standard. Most of the fire is reportedly contained, with no injuries or structural damage reported.
“I’m sure [the fire] has a contributing factor as to why the power is out in the city,” Elias said.
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