Waymo halts freeway rides after robotaxis struggle in construction zones

Waymo 因自动驾驶出租车在施工路段表现不佳，暂停高速公路服务

Waymo has suspended robotaxi service on freeways in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Miami as it works to improve performance in construction zones, the company confirmed to TechCrunch on Thursday. Waymo said it’s in the process of integrating “recent technical learnings into our software and expect to resume these routes soon.” Waymo robotaxis are still operating on surface streets in those cities.

Waymo 周四向 TechCrunch 证实，该公司已暂停在旧金山、洛杉矶、凤凰城和迈阿密的高速公路上的自动驾驶出租车服务，目前正致力于改善车辆在施工路段的表现。Waymo 表示，公司正在将“近期的技术经验整合到软件中，并预计很快会恢复这些路线。”目前，Waymo 的自动驾驶出租车在这些城市仍可在地面道路上正常运营。

The decision to pull robotaxis off of freeways follows Waymo’s decision to pause operations in Atlanta and San Antonio, Texas to address problems with flooding in those cities. The company announced a software recall last week that was supposed to help its fleet avoid flooded areas in San Antonio, in which service has been halted for weeks, while it worked on a more permanent fix. At least one robotaxi was spotted getting stuck in Atlanta this week, causing Waymo to suspend operations there, too.

在此之前，Waymo 已决定暂停在亚特兰大和德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥的运营，以应对当地的洪水问题。该公司上周宣布了一项软件召回计划，旨在帮助其车队避开圣安东尼奥的积水区域（该地区的服务已暂停数周），同时公司也在寻求更长久的解决方案。本周，至少有一辆自动驾驶出租车在亚特兰大被发现陷入困境，导致 Waymo 在当地也暂停了运营。

These service interruptions come as Waymo is pushing to expand to a number of new cities around the globe this year, with the goal of offering as many as one million paid rides per week at the end of 2026. Waymo is also currently testing its new Zeekr-built robotaxi, which it calls Ojai, and is expected to start offering rides in that vehicle in the coming months.

这些服务中断发生之际，Waymo 正计划今年在全球多个新城市进行扩张，目标是在 2026 年底实现每周提供多达 100 万次付费乘车服务。此外，Waymo 目前正在测试其由极氪（Zeekr）制造的新款自动驾驶出租车（代号 Ojai），预计将在未来几个月内投入运营。

Waymo started offering highway rides in late 2025. Putting its robotaxis on these higher-speed roads has been crucial to its expansion in large metro areas, as it helps the company better connect riders to local airports, and reduces ride times by skipping surface streets. In the Bay Area in particular, freeway travel has helped Waymo dramatically cut trip times across the peninsula that previously took anywhere from 45 minutes to over an hour.

Waymo 于 2025 年底开始提供高速公路乘车服务。将自动驾驶出租车引入这些高速路段对其在大都市区的扩张至关重要，因为这有助于公司更好地将乘客送往当地机场，并通过避开地面道路来缩短行程时间。特别是在湾区，高速公路行驶帮助 Waymo 大幅缩短了横跨半岛的行程时间，这些行程以往通常需要 45 分钟到一个多小时。

Waymo didn’t cite a specific incident behind its decision to suspend freeway driving this week. But the company’s robotaxis have been spotted struggling with highway construction zones. On May 19, X user @Elliot_slade posted a video claiming that his Waymo ride “blasted through cones” and claimed the vehicle was “chased” by police.

Waymo 并未说明本周暂停高速公路行驶的具体诱因。但据观察，该公司的自动驾驶出租车在高速公路施工路段确实表现吃力。5 月 19 日，X 用户 @Elliot_slade 发布了一段视频，声称他乘坐的 Waymo 车辆“冲过了路障锥桶”，并称该车随后被警察“追赶”。