Waymo halts freeway rides after robotaxis struggle in construction zones

Waymo halts freeway rides after robotaxis struggle in construction zones Sean O'Kane 2:13 PM PDT · May 21, 2026 Waymo has suspended robotaxi service on freeways in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Miami as it works to improve performance in construction zones, the company confirmed to TechCrunch on Thursday. Waymo said it’s in the process of integrating “recent technical learnings into our software and expect to resume these routes soon.” Waymo robotaxis are still operating on surface streets in those cities. The decision to pull robotaxis off of freeways follows Waymo’s decision to pause operations in Atlanta and San Antonio, Texas to address problems with flooding in those cities. The company announced a software recall last week that was supposed to help its fleet avoid flooded areas in San Antonio, in which service has been halted for weeks, while it worked on a more permanent fix. At least one robotaxi was spotted getting stuck in Atlanta this week, causing Waymo to suspend operations there, too. These service interruptions come as Waymo is pushing to expand to a number of new cities around the globe this year, with the goal of offering as many as one million paid rides per week at the end of 2026. Waymo is also currently testing its new Zeekr-built robotaxi, which it calls Ojai, and is expected to start offering rides in that vehicle in the coming months. Waymo started offering highway rides in late 2025. Putting its robotaxis on these higher-speed roads has been crucial to its expansion in large metro areas, as it helps the company better connect riders to local airports, and reduces ride times by skipping surface streets. In the Bay Area in particular, freeway travel has helped Waymo dramatically cut trip times across the peninsula that previously took anywhere from 45 minutes to over an hour. Waymo didn’t cite a specific incident behind its decision to suspend freeway driving this week. But the company’s robotaxis have been spotted struggling with highway construction zones. On May 19, X user @Elliot_slade posted a video claiming that his Waymo ride “blasted through cones” and claimed the vehicle was “chased” by police. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Sean O'Kane Sr. Reporter, Transportation Sean O’Kane is a reporter who has spent a decade covering the rapidly-evolving business and technology of the transportation industry, including Tesla and the many startups chasing Elon Musk. Most recently, he was a reporter at Bloomberg News where he helped break stories about some of the most notorious EV SPAC flops. He previously worked at The Verge, where he also covered consumer technology, hosted many short- and long-form videos, performed product and editorial photography, and once nearly passed out in a Red Bull Air Race plane. You can contact or verify outreach from Sean by emailing sean.okane@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at okane.01 on Signal. May 27 Athens, Greece StrictlyVC Athens is up next. Hear unfiltered insights straight from Europe’s tech leaders and connect with the people shaping what’s ahead. Lock in your spot before it’s gone. Most Popular Jensen Huang says he’s found a ‘brand new’ $200B market for Nvidia Julie Bort Sam Altman makes ‘mic drop’ offer to every Y Combinator startup Julie Bort Google Search as you know it is over Sarah Perez Elon Musk has lost his lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI Tim Fernholz Users turn to jailbreaking their older Kindles as Amazon ends support Lauren Forristal OpenAI launches ChatGPT for personal finance, will let you connect bank accounts Ivan Mehta US orders travelers on Air Force One to throw away gifts, pins, and burner phones after China trip Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai X LinkedIn Facebook Instagram youTube Mastodon Threads Bluesky TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseCrunchboard JobsSite Map Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyRSS Terms of UseCode of Conduct AnthropicSAPSamsungMarc LoreTechCrunch DisruptTech LayoffsChatGPT © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC.