Waymo Resumes Freeway Operations After Construction Zone Setback

Waymo has partially resumed its freeway service in Phoenix after halting it in May due to a software bug that caused its autonomous vehicles to drive into closed construction zones at speed. The Alphabet-owned company recorded six such incidents in Phoenix in April and seven in San Francisco in May, leading to a software recall in June. Waymo says freeway rides will return soon to other cities including the San Francisco Bay Area, Miami, and Los Angeles.

Waymo has partially resumed its freeway service after halting it to fix a software issue that prevented its cars from identifying closed construction zones. The resumption kicks off in Phoenix, where interested customers can join a waitlist through the Waymo app. Other cities where freeway rides were previously available, such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Miami, and Los Angeles, will see the service return soon, the company says https://support.google.com/waymo/answer/16580405?hl=en zippy=,how-can-i-get-freeway-access,how-will-i-know-if-i-have-freeway-access,why-did-my-car-detour-off-the-freeway,if-i-have-freeway-access-will-my-rides-always-go-on-the-freeway,how-can-i-provide-feedback-on-freeway-access . “Freeways are back We’re gradually resuming freeway routes for faster rides — starting today in Phoenix, with more cities to follow,” Waymo wrote in an X post https://x.com/Waymo/status/2082501792001056984?s=20 on Wednesday. Waymo launched /ai/161217/watch-out-uber-drivers-waymo-robotaxis-are-now-allowed-on-highways highway routing in November. The service was initially available in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and later expanded to Miami. Problems began cropping up in April, Waymo revealed in a June filing https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2026/RCLRPT-26E035-7637.pdf with the NHTSA. The AVs failed to recognize freeway construction zones and drove into them at speed, the company said. Six such incidents were recorded in Phoenix in April, and seven were recorded in San Francisco the following month. No passengers were harmed, but the Alphabet-owned company abruptly halted its freeway service /cars-auto/165237/waymo-halts-freeway-operations-stops-service-in-some-cities-without-clearly-communicating-whats-up in May and issued a software recall /ai/165670/waymo-recalls-3800-robotaxis-to-keep-them-out-of-freeway-construction-zones to fix the bug in June. Although a recent report found that Waymos crash 68% less /ai/166347/how-safe-is-your-waymo-report-finds-they-crash-68-less-than-human-drivers often than human drivers, they have shown a tendency to freeze when faced with unique, unfamiliar situations, such as crowded Fourth of July celebrations /ai/166034/waymo-robotaxis-face-blame-for-san-franciscos-july-4th-traffic-chaos or a city-wide blackout /cars-auto/162197/waymo-robotaxis-froze-slowed-down-traffic-during-san-francisco-blackout .