Waymo suspends operations in six cities after cars drive into flooded roads

Waymo said it was suspending its driverless taxi service in six cities in Texas, Tennessee and Georgia over concerns that its cars could drive into flooded roads.

The temporary shutdown comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a letter this month that Waymo was fixing software in thousands of its taxis that would allow the cars to drive into standing water on some roads.

Waymo said it decided to fix the software last month after an unmanned taxi drove into a flooded road during a heavy downpour in San Antonio on April 20. Earlier this month, Waymo said the software could be fixed without disrupting the taxi service.

But on Friday, Waymo, which is owned by Alphabet, the parent company of Google, confirmed it was temporarily suspending taxi service in Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Nashville and Atlanta. There were severe storms in these cities, some leading to flash floods.

The company took action after videos emerged showing two Waymo cars stopped on flooded roads in Atlanta on Wednesday as 2 to 3.5 inches of rain fell on the city, flooding some streets and Downtown Connectorhighway in the city center.

Waymo said that while its cars can drive in heavy rain, it wanted to improve service. He expects the taxi service to resume soon in the six affected cities.

Separately, Waymo said it is temporarily suspending the ability of its taxis to drive on freeways as it works to improve the way they pass through certain freeway construction zones. He said he expected the service to restart – which he did it offers in Miami, Phoenix, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area – coming soon.

“We are committed to being good neighbors to our riders and our communities,” Waymo spokesman Chris Pappas said in a statement Friday. “As part of this commitment, we are taking proactive decisions, including temporarily suspending aspects of our service.”

One of the videos from Atlanta was published by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and reported by one of its reporters, Rachael Knudsen. She told the newspaper that the Waymo car she was driving in the middle of heavy rain on Wednesday drove into several flooded streets and then “gave up.” She had to order an Uber to get him home instead. (Uber and Waymo have a partnership and share some services in Atlanta and other cities.)

Ms. Knudsen said she wasn’t sure she would ride a Waymo taxi again in bad weather.

“I was surprised by how Waymo was unable to sense the water that was in front of us,” she said he told the newspaper.

Second video showed another Waymo car parked on a flooded street in Atlanta on Wednesday, in water almost up to its headlights. Waymo said the vehicle was unoccupied at the time.

The incidents come as self-driving cars proliferate in major US cities, giving people a new way to get around and raising safety concerns.

Waymo faces federal investigation into traffic violations, and the company announced plans to update its software last year after reports that its taxis illegally stopped school buses passed.

Its cars have also been involved in more serious incidents, including when an ambulance was prevented from reaching the scene of the Austin shooting, a cat was killed in San Francisco, and a child was he struck in Santa Monica, California.

Waymo says it provides half a million fully autonomous trips to riders across the country every week. Company said his technology it statistically outperforms human drivers, reducing the likelihood of accidents and serious injuries.

“Safety is a top priority for Waymo, both for our riders and everyone we share the road with,” said Mr. Pappas.