Waymo will temporarily limit robotaxi service in all of its nationwide markets, the company said Friday, as US cities prepare for a wave of protests of federal immigration policies and law enforcement and military crackdowns on demonstrators. The Alphabet subsidiary will stop service in Los Angeles altogether, Wired reported.
Waymo spokesperson Sandy Karp confirmed the service pause and adjustments but declined to comment further. There is no indication how long the service changes will last.
The adjustments will affect service in San Francisco; Austin, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia, and Phoenix, Arizona. On Friday afternoon, some San Francisco riders saw in-app messages showing that all of the company’s robot axis were busy, and so unable to pick up rides.
The move comes a week after protesters set fire to five autonomous taxis operating by the company in downtown Los Angeles. Images of the fires went viral on social media, and became a flashpoint in discussions about protestor violence and the role tech plays in citizen surveillance.
PCMag reported: After several Waymo robot taxis were set ablaze during the anti-US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests in Los Angeles, the company is now limiting its robotaxi service in locations across the US ahead of nationwide “no kings” protest planned for Saturday, June 14.
The move will impact operations in San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta, and Phoenix, Wired reported. Waymo, owned by Google parent company Alphabet, will also pause operations altogether in Los Angeles, after it suspended operations in the downtown area earlier this week. Waymo didn’t say how long the service interruptions are set to last.
The Los Angeles Times reported that at least six Waymo vehicles were damaged last weekend; at least three were set on fire.
From a business point of view, the move shouldn’t be surprising. Each Waymo-branded robotaxi is estimated to cost north of $100,000. However, this isn’t the first time Waymo has seen its vehicles become victims of civil unrest. In February 2024, a driverless Waymo vehicle was set on fire in San Francisco’s Chinatown. A few months later, a man was charged with allegedly slashing the tires of 17 Waymo vehicles in San Francisco.
Texas Public Radio reported: People in San Antonio planned a demonstration on Saturday to condemn President Trump’s military parade in Washington, D.C., which is meant in part to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.
The parade in Washington – the first such procession since the end of the Persian Gulf War in 1991 — will include military vehicles and aircraft and is purported to cost $45 million.
Despite the presence of National Guard troops that Gov. Greg Abbott deployed to Alamo City, organizers of the “No Kings” protest said they expect the event to be peaceful.
Alex Svehla, lead organizer with the group 50501, which is sponsoring the event, said he expects it to go smoothly: “We’re gonna have more peacekeepers than we’ve ever had before. We’ve had the support of San Antonio PD, so we’re confident that it will go off without any problems.”