Waymo has begun restoring freeway routes to its robotaxi service, starting in Phoenix, more than two months after suspending high-speed road operations due to problems with how its vehicles handled construction zones. The company said it has rolled out software updates improving scene recognition and routing around roadworks, and plans to extend the restart to Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area in the coming days. The move matters because it comes amid growing scrutiny of robotaxi safety, including a newly proposed US bill seeking national safety standards for autonomous vehicles.

Waymo first introduced freeway routes across San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles in November 2025, later extending them to Miami, as a way to cut journey times and improve airport access. It suspended freeway driving in May after riders noticed routes disappearing, and in June it voluntarily recalled nearly 4,000 robotaxis after finding at least 13 cases of vehicles entering closed construction sections of highway, though it reported no injuries or collisions. This was Waymo's sixth recall, following earlier fixes for vehicles driving into floodwater and passing stopped school buses illegally.