Waymo robotaxis are starting to return to freeways

Waymo 自动驾驶出租车开始重返高速公路

Waymo is slowly adding freeway routes back to its service area more than two months after the company stopped driving these high-speed roads due to how its robotaxis behaved near construction zones. 在停止高速公路行驶两个多月后，Waymo 正在缓慢地将其服务区域重新接入高速公路路线。此前，该公司因其自动驾驶出租车在施工区域附近的表现不佳而暂停了这些高速路段的运营。

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. Waymo 周三在 X（原推特）上发文宣布，将逐步恢复高速公路路线，首站选在凤凰城——这是该公司首个无人驾驶网约车市场。Waymo 发言人告诉 TechCrunch，包括洛杉矶和旧金山湾区在内的更多城市也将在未来几天内跟进。

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 included enhanced scene recognition and routing, according to the company. Waymo 在一份电子邮件声明中表示，在实施了旨在改善高速公路施工区域性能的软件更新后，公司正在“恢复其整个服务区域（包括施工区域）的高速公路运营”。据该公司称，这些软件更新包括增强了场景识别和路线规划能力。

The freeway pause — and its restart — comes amid increased scrutiny into Waymo and other robotaxi operators, particularly over how these self-driving vehicles behave in certain high-traffic situations and around emergency responders. 此次高速公路运营的暂停与重启，正值外界对 Waymo 及其他自动驾驶出租车运营商的审查力度加大之际，尤其是针对这些自动驾驶车辆在特定高流量路况以及应急救援人员周围的表现。

Earlier this week, Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.) proposed a bill that would direct federal regulators to establish minimum national safety standards for autonomous vehicle operators following a number of incidents in which autonomous vehicles blocked ambulances and fire trucks, drove into active crime scenes, and failed to recognize safety signals such as traffic cones and flares. 本周早些时候，加州民主党众议员凯文·穆林（Kevin Mullin）提出了一项法案，要求联邦监管机构为自动驾驶汽车运营商制定最低国家安全标准。此前，自动驾驶汽车曾多次发生阻碍救护车和消防车、驶入活跃犯罪现场，以及未能识别交通锥和信号弹等安全信号的事件。

Waymo started offering robotaxi rides that used freeways across San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles in November 2025, a critical expansion for the company as it sought to attract riders with shorter commute times and faster access to airports. It would later add freeway routes in Miami. Waymo 于 2025 年 11 月开始在旧金山、凤凰城和洛杉矶提供使用高速公路的自动驾驶出租车服务。这对该公司来说是一次关键的扩张，旨在通过缩短通勤时间和提供更快捷的机场接送服务来吸引乘客。随后，该公司又在迈阿密增加了高速公路路线。

The expansion proved to be popular, and when it suddenly disappeared in May, riders took to social media to ask why. At the time, Waymo told TechCrunch it wanted to improve the performance of its robotaxis in construction zones, noting that it was in the process of integrating “recent technical learnings into our software and expect to resume these routes soon.” 这一扩张举措广受欢迎，因此当五月份高速公路服务突然消失时，乘客们纷纷在社交媒体上询问原因。当时，Waymo 告诉 TechCrunch，公司希望提升自动驾驶出租车在施工区域的性能，并指出正在将“近期的技术经验整合到软件中，预计很快会恢复这些路线。”

Weeks later, Waymo voluntarily recalled its fleet of nearly 4,000 robotaxis after identifying at least 13 instances of its robotaxis driving into highway sections that were closed for construction, according to a filing submitted in June with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A Waymo spokesperson said there were no injuries or collisions reported in connection with these events. 几周后，根据六月份提交给美国国家公路交通安全管理局（NHTSA）的文件显示，Waymo 在发现其自动驾驶出租车至少 13 次驶入因施工而封闭的高速公路路段后，主动召回了近 4000 辆自动驾驶出租车。Waymo 发言人表示，这些事件未造成任何人员伤亡或碰撞事故。

However, after reviewing the incidents, the company said it decided to temporarily restrict freeway operations. This was Waymo’s sixth recall of its robotaxis. Previous recalls included software fixes after its robotaxis drove into flooded roads and behaved illegally around school buses. 然而，在审查了这些事件后，该公司表示决定暂时限制高速公路运营。这是 Waymo 第六次召回其自动驾驶出租车。之前的召回包括在自动驾驶出租车驶入积水路段以及在校车周围出现违规行为后进行的软件修复。