Overview
- Dozens of Waymo robotaxis became immobilized in heavy congestion after the Golden Gate Bridge fireworks on July 4, with some vehicles running out of battery and needing tow trucks that were delayed for hours.
- On July 16 Mayor Daniel Lurie sent a formal letter to state transportation officials pressing for enforceable statewide standards and recounting the July 4 gridlock and a prior December outage when robotaxis stalled at darkened intersections.
- Lurie asked that operators demonstrate four core operational capabilities: promptly clearing disabled vehicles from travel lanes, adapting geofences and pick-up zones in real time, sharing live operational data with city agencies, and proving event readiness through stress tests.
- San Francisco lacks authority to set binding AV rules under California’s two-track DMV and CPUC system, and federal regulators have also intervened — the NHTSA issued a July 8 call to action about AV failures to respond to emergency scenes.
- City after-action reviews are underway, Waymo says it is reviewing the incidents, and the most likely next steps are state rulemaking or stricter permit conditions that aim to prevent future blockages that could delay emergency responders and strand residents.