Waymo's autonomous vehicles have increasingly relied on first responders, including police and firefighters, to intervene when the robotaxis encounter problems on the road. Incidents range from moving vehicles stuck in traffic or intersections to disengaging them from active crime scenes. City officials, such as Mary Ellen Carroll of San Francisco's Department of Emergency Management, have criticized this dependency, stating that first responders are becoming an unsustainable default roadside assistance for these vehicles. This issue became particularly evident during a major power outage in December, where numerous Waymo vehicles stalled, impeding emergency services.
Despite having its own roadside assistance team, Waymo has called 911 for support, with one instance involving a remote assistance worker asking police to drive a robotaxi and arrange transportation for a passenger. Waymo clarified that while it does not expect first responders to move its vehicles as a matter of course, it has designed a process for them to take control quickly in emergencies. However, reports indicate at least six instances in recent months where first responders had to manually move Waymo vehicles, sometimes in critical situations like responding to a mass shooting or an active crime scene.
Waymo's internal support system involves "remote assistance" workers, about 70 of whom monitor a fleet of roughly 3,000 vehicles. These workers, with half based in the U.S. and half in the Philippines, provide advice but do not directly control the vehicles. The company also employs a dedicated "roadside assistance" team for on-the-ground support and works with local tow partners. However, Waymo has not disclosed the size of this team or how it plans to scale it as it expands to about 20 new cities.
The growing reliance on public services has prompted legislative action. California's state Senate transportation committee recently passed a bill requiring autonomous vehicle companies to employ their own U.S.-based technicians with valid California driver's licenses, at a 3-to-1 vehicle ratio, capable of responding to emergencies within 10 minutes. This legislation also mandates that emergency workers be able to operate AVs in emergency situations. The bill addresses concerns from first responders who reported long wait times, sometimes up to 53 minutes, when trying to get assistance from robotaxi companies during incidents.
