Waymo Suspends Downtown LA Service

Sunday was a rough day for robotaxis in Los Angeles. Five of Waymo's self-driving vehicles were torched by protesters, and the company has suspended service in downtown LA. The company, a subsidiary of Google's parent company Alphabet, tells USA Today that service was suspended to the area "out of an abundance of caution" and that Waymos will still be available in other parts of the city. Protesters covered the electric vehicles, estimated to be worth more than $150,000 each, in anti-ICE graffiti before setting them on fire. At one point, according to the Los Angeles Times, "the besieged Waymos began honking their horns in coordinated cacophony."

It's not clear whether the protesters themselves summoned the robotaxis. "We have no reason to believe that these protests are related to Waymo," the company said. Protesters also threw Lime electric scooters into the flames, the Los Angeles Times reports. "Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby," the LAPD warned in a post on X. "Please avoid the area." Waymo began offering its service in Los Angeles last year, CNBC reports. The company has around 1,500 vehicles in a fleet operating in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, and Austin. (More Los Angeles protests stories.)