Waymo restarts freeway robotaxi routes in Phoenix, Bay Area next
Waymo is putting freeway routes back into service starting in Phoenix, with Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area following in days, after a May pause and a recall of nearly 4,000 robotaxis — its sixth — over at least 13 drives into closed construction sections. The fix was software rather than hardware: enhanced scene recognition and routing around freeway construction, with no injuries or collisions reported in those incidents. The restart brings back the airport and commute runs that made the routes popular, and it lands as Rep. Kevin Mullin pushes a bill for federal minimum safety standards on autonomous vehicle operators.
Source: techcrunch.com ↗
Resuming freeway operations across its entire service area, including areas with construction, after implementing software updates designed to improve performance around freeway construction zones.
Why this matters
- → Restoring freeway routes after safety-critical construction-zone failures
- → Tests Waymo's ability to handle edge cases regulators increasingly scrutinize
- → Federal minimum standards bill now pressures industry to prove readiness