Waymo has begun to reintroduce freeway routes for its robotaxi service, starting with Phoenix. This move comes over two months after the company halted operations on high-speed roads due to concerns about how its autonomous vehicles behaved near construction zones.
The company announced on Wednesday that it would gradually add freeway routes, with Phoenix, its initial driverless ride-hailing market, being the first. A Waymo spokesperson indicated that other cities, such as Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, are expected to follow in the coming days.
Waymo stated that it is resuming freeway operations across its entire service area, including areas with construction, after implementing software updates. These updates were designed to improve performance around freeway construction zones through enhanced scene recognition and routing.
The pause and subsequent restart of freeway services occur amidst increased scrutiny of robotaxi operators, particularly regarding their behaviour in high-traffic situations and around emergency responders. In June, Waymo voluntarily recalled nearly 4,000 robotaxis after identifying at least 13 instances of vehicles driving into highway sections closed for construction, though no injuries or collisions were reported.