Waymo robotaxis begin returning to freeways after software updates

Waymo is slowly adding freeway routes back to its service area more than two months after pausing high-speed road operations. The company said the return starts with Phoenix, its first driverless ride-hailing market, with Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area expected to follow in the coming days.

The move matters because freeway access can make robotaxi rides faster and more useful for longer commutes and airport trips. Riders should expect a phased return rather than an all-at-once switch across every market.

The pause was tied to how Waymo robotaxis behaved near construction zones. Waymo said it is resuming freeway operations across its service area, including areas with construction, after software updates designed to improve performance around freeway construction zones.

The company said those updates included enhanced scene recognition and routing. In practical terms, the restart signals that Waymo believes the system is better prepared for a difficult driving environment where lane closures, cones, and shifting traffic patterns can change quickly.

The restart comes as Waymo and other robotaxi operators face increased scrutiny over how self-driving vehicles behave in high-traffic situations and around emergency responders. Earlier in the week, Rep. Kevin Mullin proposed a bill that would direct federal regulators to establish minimum national safety standards for autonomous vehicle operators.

The scrutiny follows incidents described in the article involving autonomous vehicles blocking ambulances and fire trucks, entering active crime scenes, and failing to recognize safety signals such as traffic cones and flares. For operators, the core challenge is not only expanding service but proving reliability in edge cases that matter for public safety.

Waymo previously recalled nearly 4,000 robotaxis after identifying at least 13 instances of vehicles driving into highway sections closed for construction, according to a filing submitted in June with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A Waymo spokesperson said no injuries or collisions were reported in connection with those events.

The article notes this was Waymo’s sixth robotaxi recall, with earlier software fixes tied to flooded roads and behavior around school buses. The key takeaway: freeway service is returning, but regulators, riders, and cities will be watching how the updated software performs in real-world traffic.