On Wednesday, December 17, 2025, a Waymo self-driving taxi pulls into Post Street in San Francisco, California, USA.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Waymo on Thursday suspended its robo-taxi service in the San Francisco Bay Area ahead of expected heavy rain in the region, according to a notice to customers of the company’s driverless ride-hailing app.
“Service temporarily suspended due to National Weather Service flash flood warning,” the notice said.
The Alphabet company announced earlier this week that it would update its fleet to better run its robotaxi service during power outages.
On December 20, Waymo temporarily suspended service during a power outage in San Francisco that left tens of thousands of people in the area without power and caused some self-driving cars to stop in the middle of traffic, contributing to or causing congestion.
The National Weather Service has extended a flood watch for the entire San Francisco Bay Area until 10 p.m. local time Friday.
Waymo did not immediately respond to a request for comment or say whether regulators had asked it to suspend service Thursday in light of flash flood warnings.
The California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates driverless ride-hailing services in the state, did not immediately respond to a request for information Thursday over the Christmas holiday.
Waymo currently operates commercial unmanned services in five U.S. markets, increasing to three by the end of 2024. Waymo’s robotaxi service is operating in Austin, the San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Los Angeles this year. The company plans to significantly expand its service area across the United States and outside the United States in 2026, CNBC previously reported.
Waymo faces increased public scrutiny and safety concerns as it seeks to expand its robotaxi service.
