© Eric Seals/Imagn
When Waymo announced its plan to bring its self-driving taxis to the city of Philadelphia, residents were quick to reject the idea.
Some even went as far as to threaten violence against the robotic vehicles, using the city’s history with the infamous “Hitchbot” as evidence that they would back up the threats with action.
At the time, the reaction to Waymo’s announcement seemed a bit over the top. Now, however, it appears that Philadelphia residents may well have just been ahead of the curve.
San Francisco Power Outage Leaves Waymo Vehicles Stranded
Over the weekend, the city of San Francisco underwent widespread power outages that left a number of residents and businesses in the dark, literally.
However, that wasn’t the worst consequence.
Because the power outage shut down several traffic signals, it left a number of Waymo’s vehicles paralyzed, unable to move at all, and blocking streets.
This is insane, Waymo vehicles all over SF are bricked due to a power outage. https://t.co/2AnKB80Qj7 pic.twitter.com/HnHPjq7FcB
— Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) December 21, 2025
With the company based in Mountain View, Califronia, less than an hour from the city, San Francisco is one of the largest users of Waymo vehicles.
Meaning that the issues with the robo-taxis left several drivers stuck, with nowhere to maneuver around the stranded autonomous vehicles.
“We have temporarily suspended our ride-hailing services in the San Francisco Bay Area due to the widespread power outage,” a Waymo spokesperson said in a statement. “Our teams are working diligently and in close coordination with city officials, and we are hopeful to bring our services back online soon.”
Eventually, the cars were able to regain functionality when power returned. However, the incident raised concerns regarding the safety of the technology in a state of emergency.
“Imagine power is disrupted during a major emergency where there is an evacuation order, but no one can move because driverless vehicles are clogging the intersections,” one poster posited on X.
“I still do not understand how Waymos are allowed on the road. They glitch any time something deviates and then all they do is clog up the roads,” said another.
Here’s to you, Philadelphians, for once again being the canary in the coal mine.