Waymo robotaxis are starting to return to freeways
Waymo is resuming robotaxi operations on freeways after a two-month pause to implement software updates for construction zone navigation. The move comes amid growing federal scrutiny regarding the safety of autonomous vehicles.
Why it matters
The return of freeway service is a critical milestone for autonomous vehicle commercialization, even as regulatory pressure mounts.
Waymo is slowly adding freeway routes back to its service area more than two months after the company stopped driving these high-speed roads over how its rovotaxis behaved near construction zones.
Waymo announced Wednesday in a post on X that it would gradually add freeway routes, starting with Phoenix — the company’s first driverless ride-hailing market. More cities, including Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, would follow in the coming days, a Waymo spokesperson told TechCrunch.
In an emailed statement, Waymo said it was “resuming freeway operations across its entire service area, including areas with construction, after implementing software updates designed to improve performance around freeway construction zones.”
Those software updates improved performance around construction zones through enhanced scene recognition and routing, according to the company.
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