Waymo has temporarily paused its autonomous taxi services on freeways in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Miami to integrate software updates.
The pause is intended to enhance the vehicles’ performance around construction zones and flooded roads, while street and other off-highway services will continue.
This decision follows a recent recall of 3,800 vehicles due to a software defect that caused some robotaxis to drive into flooded roadways.
Waymo also suspended operations in Atlanta after a robotaxi stopped in flood water and has faced scrutiny for incidents like hitting a child and running over a cat.
Despite these operational adjustments, Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, is expanding globally and aims to significantly increase its weekly trips, claiming fewer injury-causing collisions than human drivers.
