Waymo has stopped all robotaxi freeway rides after one passenger shared videos from a frightening trip through a construction zone in San Francisco. The company paused the service while engineers work on software changes linked to freeway construction areas. Before the shutdown, freeway rides operated in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Miami.
The incident started inside a blocked construction section on a freeway. According to the report, a remote operator first attempted to guide the robotaxi away from the restricted area. Something then went wrong. The vehicle accelerated through traffic cones and reached what the rider described as “highway speeds” while police pursued the Jaguar-based robotaxi.
The passenger involved, @Elliot_slade, also known as QuietLight on X, posted several messages online after the ride ended.
“Just saw death flash before my eyes in a @Waymo.”
“I use these a lot in the city, but tonight we took the freeway, and the road was closed.”
“Waymo freaked out and sped up to highway speeds through construction trucks, and police chased us.”
“Genuinely thought we were about to die.”
Another post added more detail. Elliot wrote: “The Waymo blasted through cones, swerved huge trucks, and sped away from the cops.”
He also stated: “Was kinda freaking out, had my girl in the seat next to me. You can get the sirens.”
Waymo stayed away from direct comments about the event itself. Still, the company confirmed the freeway pause in a statement sent to the San Francisco Standard.
“We have temporarily paused freeway operations, as we work to integrate recent technical learnings into our software and expect to resume these routes soon.”
The suspension arrived only days after another major action involving the robotaxi fleet. Waymo recently recalled almost 3,800 autonomous vehicles after incidents in Georgia and Texas where robotaxis entered flooded areas and became stranded. Separate service pauses also affected Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, though those interruptions were described as unrelated.
The company has faced repeated scrutiny tied to unusual road behavior. Previous incidents involved collisions with vehicles, gates, and telephone poles. Reports also mentioned erratic driving around school buses.
Federal investigators are watching closely, too. The NHTSA opened an investigation after a Waymo vehicle struck a child near a school in Santa Monica in January. The child suffered minor injuries.
Back in December, another disruption hit San Francisco after a power outage froze multiple robotaxis in traffic. Some blocked intersections. One vehicle reportedly obstructed a firetruck responding to an active fire.
The article notes Waymo’s safety data has shown better safety results compared to human drivers. Even so, difficult conditions such as standing water, heavy rain, and unusual road situations continue to create problems for autonomous driving systems.
