Austin weather: Waymo pauses robotaxi service following heavy rain

Waymo has temporarily suspended its robotaxi service after heavy rain moved in Austin overnight and into Monday morning. The Alphabet-owned company decided to temporarily pause its driverless robotaxis in the city after several flash flood alerts, Chris Bonelli, a Waymo spokesperson, said. The company plans to resume service once conditions improve. "We know that people depend on us to get around, and we are working as quickly as possible to reduce the impact of these adjustments on our riders," he said. According to the National Weather Service, about one to 5 inches of rain had fallen across parts of Central Texas as of Monday morning. Travis, Hays and Williamson counties issued flash flood warnings Monday morning, and much of the region remains under a flood watch. Bonelli did not specify whether the pause included San Antonio or other parts of Texas affected by heavy rainfall overnight. Waymo has paused service because of weather in Central Texas three times since it launched in August 2025. The company has previously said it has its own methodology for deciding when to pull its robotaxis from roadways amid severe weather, but has declined to specify what those measurements are.