Waymo has resumed its robotaxi service in San Antonio, Texas, five months after severe flooding caused several of its autonomous vehicles to become stranded. 

The company temporarily restricted its operations in areas considered vulnerable to flooding following the incident.

Several Waymo vehicles reportedly encountered difficulties during heavy flooding in April. 

The vehicles slowed as they approached flooded roads but were unable to completely avoid some waterlogged areas. 

The company subsequently issued a recall in May and introduced restrictions on operations in locations considered to have a higher risk of flooding.

Waymo has since resumed services in other Texas cities where operations were temporarily paused. 

With the return to San Antonio, the company is now providing paid robotaxi rides across a number of locations in the United States.

The renewed San Antonio service will involve dozens of vehicles operating across an area covering approximately 60 miles, including downtown San Antonio and the city’s international airport. 

Waymo said it has introduced software changes intended to improve the vehicles’ ability to detect and avoid standing water.

The company has continued expanding its autonomous transportation network while making adjustments based on lessons from incidents encountered during real world operations. 

The changes introduced in San Antonio are expected to improve how its vehicles respond to flooding and other challenging road conditions.

Source: TechCrunch