Waymo expands pause to four cities as robotaxis keep driving into floods
Waymo has paused its robotaxi services in four cities due to difficulties navigating flooded roads. The company faced issues when one of its vehicles became stuck in a flooded street in Atlanta. Waymo is working on solutions to improve safety during severe weather conditions.
- ▪Waymo has paused service in Atlanta, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston due to heavy rain and flooding.
- ▪A Waymo robotaxi was reported to have gotten stuck in a flooded street in Atlanta.
- ▪The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is aware of the incident and is in communication with Waymo.
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| Original publisher | TechCrunch |
| Canonical URL | https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/21/waymo-pauses-service-in-four-cities-as-robotaxis-keep-driving-into-floods/ |
| Publication time | Fri, 22 May 2026 00:37:00 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-22T00:39:12.882Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-22T03:30:51.913Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Waymo has now paused service in four cities because its robotaxis are struggling to deal with heavy rain and flooded roads, a problem that already prompted the company to issue a recall last week. One of Waymo’s robotaxis was spotted driving through a flooded street in Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday before it ultimately got stuck for about an hour, according to local news reports. The vehicle was recovered and removed from the scene, Waymo told TechCrunch. Waymo says it paused service in the city, just like it has in San Antonio, Texas, while it figures out a solution. “Safety is Waymo’s top priority, both for our riders and everyone we share the road with.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at TechCrunch.
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