Waymo robotaxis expand rapidly across 15 cities amid growing technical glitches

Waymo is rapidly expanding its autonomous vehicle service across 15 major U.S. cities, including San Francisco and Dallas, but faces a growing number of technical glitches. During San Francisco's July 4 celebrations, driverless cars blocked traffic, stalled, and ran over exploding fireworks. These persistent 'edge cases' prompt safety warnings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and spark calls for stricter statewide regulations from San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.

Waymo expansion across cities

• ▪Waymo plans to launch a commercial robotaxi service in London, England, by the end of 2026.
• ▪Waymo has expanded its driverless car service to San Francisco and 14 other metropolitan areas, including Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Tampa.
• ▪Waymo opened its Dallas autonomous vehicle service to the public on August 4, 2026, after initially limiting rides to waitlisted users.

Autonomous vehicle edge cases

• ▪On July 4, 2026, in San Francisco, at least two Waymo vehicles drove over exploding fireworks, resulting in one vehicle catching fire.
• ▪Passenger Rose Peterson and her fiancée experienced a Waymo vehicle driving over an exploding firework in San Francisco on July 4, 2026, causing the vehicle to smell of fire and stall.
• ▪During San Francisco's Fourth of July celebrations on July 4, 2026, Waymo driverless vehicles blocked intersections, stalled due to dead batteries, and caused traffic delays.

Freeway service suspension

• ▪Waymo gradually restored its freeway service in early August 2026 following company-issued software updates.
• ▪Waymo suspended its freeway rides in May 2026 to improve how its autonomous vehicles behaved around construction zones.

Construction zone navigation issues

• ▪Autonomous vehicle safety expert Phil Koopman stated that as robotaxis scale, they encounter rare edge cases, such as construction zones and floods, which operators have struggled to resolve quickly.
• ▪Robotaxis continue to face operational difficulties navigating construction zones, which are situations that human drivers typically handle routinely.

Emergency scene interference problems

• ▪National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrator Jonathan Morrison warned autonomous vehicle developers in a July 8, 2026 letter about the pitfalls vehicles face in active emergency scenes.
• ▪The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documented a clear pattern of driverless autonomous vehicles interfering with law enforcement and first responders at active emergency scenes.

Regulatory response to robotaxis

• ▪San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie called for stricter statewide regulations on robotaxis in July 2026 due to persistent operational issues.
• ▪The California Public Utilities Commission regulates passenger transportation services and driverless autonomous vehicle reporting frameworks in California.