Waymo pauses robotaxis in SF again due to flash flood warnings on Christmas Day

Transportation

Waymo pauses robotaxis in SF again due to flash flood warnings on Christmas Day

Published Thu, Dec 25 2025

4:19 PM EST

thumbnailLora Kolodny@in/lorakolodny/thumbnailLeslie Josephs@lesliejosephsWATCH LIVE

Key Points

  • Waymo again paused its driverless taxi service in San Francisco citing flash flood warnings.
  • Severe weather warnings were in effect for the Bay Area over Christmas Day.
  • The Waymo service disruptions comes just a few days after the Alphabet-owned company said it would update its fleet to better operate during power outages.

Waymo autonomous taxis turns onto Post Street in San Francisco, California, US, on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025.

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Waymo temporarily paused its robotaxi service in the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday, ahead of expected storms in the area, according to a customer notification in the company's driverless ride-hailing app.

"Service temporarily paused due to National Weather Service flash flood warning," the notification read.

Earlier this week the Alphabet-owned company said it will update its fleet so its robotaxi service is better able to perform during power outages.

On Dec. 20, Waymo paused service during a blackout in San Francisco that left tens of thousands of people in the area without power and caused some of its autonomous vehicles to halt in mid-traffic, contributing to or causing gridlock.

The National Weather Service extended a flood watch for the entire San Francisco Bay Area through Friday 10 p.m. local time.

Waymo didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, or say whether regulators required its service pause on Thursday given the flash flood warnings.

The California Public Utilities Commission — which regulates driverless ride-hailing services in the state — did not immediately respond to requests for information during the Christmas holiday on Thursday.

Waymo currently operates a commercial, driverless service in five U.S. markets, up from three at the end of 2024. Waymo's robotaxi service has been operating in Austin, the San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix, Atlanta and Los Angeles this year. The company intends to significantly expand its service area across and beyond the U.S. in 2026, CNBC previously reported.

Waymo is facing increased public scrutiny and safety concerns as it attempts to expand its robotaxi service.

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