Waymo resumes robotaxi service in Atlanta after flash flood pause
Waymo robotaxi operations are back in service in Atlanta following a weeklong pause because of last week’s inclement weather and flooding.
Waymo suspended rideshare services in Atlanta after flash flooding on May 20 resulted in several autonomous vehicles being reported stranded by flooding in roadways. Waymo said last week only one vehicle in Atlanta ultimately required recovery, while “a handful” of others were “temporarily waylaid.”
More than 2 inches of rain fell in Atlanta during rush-hour traffic the afternoon of May 20, prompting a flash flood warning from the National Weather Service.
Waymo suspended services in several cities, including Atlanta, Austin, Dallas and Houston, because of severe weather.
Earlier in May, the Mountain View, California, company recalled nearly 4,000 vehicles because of a software issue that “may allow the vehicle to slow and then drive into standing water on higher speed roadways,” according to a report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
That move came after an unoccupied vehicle in April was swept into a creek in San Antonio, where operations also were paused.
According to a statement, rider services have resumed in each of the cities where they had been paused, and will continue to adapt to local weather conditions. Atlanta services resumed Wednesday.
“As part of our commitment to safety, we constantly monitor weather conditions in the cities we serve. We may temporarily pause operations if necessary,” a spokesperson for Waymo said in a written statement. “We know riders count on us every day, so we don’t make these decisions lightly and aim to resume operations as soon as it’s safe and reliable.”
Personal injury lawyer Amy Witherite, founder of Witherite Law Group, said she believes the move to restore Waymo services was premature.
“Every Georgian who wants a driver’s license must prove they can handle ordinary road conditions. Waymo should be held to the same standard,” Witherite said in a statement. “Federal regulators and Congress should require autonomous vehicle companies to demonstrate safe performance in adverse weather and emergency scenarios before they are put into service on Atlanta streets.”
