Waymo suspends service in San Francisco after driverless cars cause traffic jams during blackout

It was not immediately clear when Waymo’s service would be restored in San Francisco

Self-driving car service Waymo has temporarily suspended service in San Francisco after the autonomous cars caused major traffic jams during a citywide power outage, according to reports.

Waymo halted service in San Francisco as of Saturday at 8 p.m. after its vehicles snarled traffic during a nasty blackout that left traffic lights across the city down. Blackouts hit some 125,000 homes and businesses throughout the day, according to Mission Local.

“We have temporarily suspended our ride-hailing services in the San Francisco Bay Area due to the widespread power outage. Our teams are working diligently and in close coordination with city officials to monitor infrastructure stability, and we are hopeful to bring our services back online soon,” a Waymo spokesperson told The Independent Sunday morning.

Without working traffic lights, the driverless cars were seemingly left confused, with many halting in their tracks and causing major traffic jams.

Local riders and pedestrians shared photos and videos of the vehicles stuck at intersections with long lines of drivers piling up behind them.

Social media users on Saturday were sharing photos and videos of Waymos after the autonomous cars were causing traffic jams in San Francisco due to a power outage (AP)

“Power outage took out the waymos RIP,” one X user jokingly wrote along with a video of the stalled vehicles.

The user noted that, at least in those circumstances, the autonomous cars “recovered reasonably quickly” and the intersection had been cleared.

In some instances, several Waymos were piled up in front of a single intersection.

“6 Waymos parked at a broken traffic light blocking the roads. Seems like they were not trained for a power outage,” another social media user wrote.

The power outage apparently stemmed from an issue Saturday morning at a substation at 8th Street and Mission Street, SFGate reported.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said in an 11:30 p.m. update Saturday that about 95,000 customers had their power restored. Crews were going to continue working through the night to restore service to the remaining 35,000 without.

There were no injuries due to the outage, the energy supplier added.

It was not immediately clear how long Waymo’s service would be suspended. In a statement to The Independent, a spokesperson said they “are hopeful to bring our services back online soon.”

“We appreciate your patience and will provide further updates as soon as they are available,” the company said.