San Francisco Supervisors Grill Waymo Over Emergency Preparedness

Concerns raised about Waymo's reliance on remote operators during power outages and ability to integrate with first responders.

Mar. 3, 2026 at 10:12pm by Ben Kaplan

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San Francisco city supervisors expressed skepticism about Waymo's emergency preparedness after a recent power outage left dozens of the company's autonomous vehicles stranded and requiring assistance from first responders. Supervisors questioned Waymo's reliance on remote operators located as far away as the Philippines to guide vehicles during emergencies, as well as the company's willingness to integrate its software with city emergency notifications.

Why it matters

Waymo's ability to operate safely and reliably during emergencies is a key concern for San Francisco officials, who worry about the burden on first responders and public safety if self-driving cars become disabled or disrupt emergency response efforts. The meeting highlighted ongoing tensions between the tech company and local community over the deployment of autonomous vehicles.

The details

During a recent San Francisco power outage, 64 incidents occurred where first responders had to manually move stalled Waymo vehicles. Waymo representatives said the main issue was a high volume of remote assistance requests from vehicles trying to navigate intersections without functioning traffic signals. The company employs 70 remote operators, some located as far away as the Philippines, to provide guidance to its fleet of 3,000 vehicles nationwide. Supervisors questioned whether this setup was sufficient for handling emergencies in San Francisco.

  • A recent power outage in San Francisco occurred in December 2025.

The players

Waymo

An American autonomous driving company and a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company.

San Francisco Supervisors

Elected officials responsible for overseeing city policies and services, including emergency preparedness.

San Francisco Department of Emergency Management

The city agency responsible for coordinating emergency response efforts.

San Francisco Fire Department

The city's fire and rescue service that responds to emergencies.

Local unions and gig workers

Groups representing workers in the transportation industry who are concerned about the impact of autonomous vehicles on their livelihoods.

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What they’re saying

“Anything that brings a high volume of calls to 911 can delay our response time for people that have true life-and-death situations.”

— Carroll

“If we're reliant in an emergency situation on operators in the Philippines to have to assess the condition here, how can you explain or justify that?”

— Bilal Mahmood, San Francisco Supervisor

“We just want to be part of the conversation and make sure that these vehicles operate safely in emergencies. We can't have roads being blocked.”

— Sam Gebler, President of San Francisco Firefighters Local 798

“When a self-driving car makes a mistake, who suffers? Not the company, not the executives, the community does. Safety should never come second. It should never be tested on real people in real time.”

— Craig

What’s next

The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management and Fire Department recommended integrating their 'avoid the area' notifications with Waymo software to prevent the driverless cars from entering emergency response zones, but Waymo representatives could not commit to that during the meeting. The supervisors said they would continue discussions with Waymo after the hearing to address their concerns.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the ongoing challenges and tensions around integrating autonomous vehicle technology into urban environments, particularly during emergencies when public safety and first responder operations are critical. It underscores the need for greater collaboration and transparency between tech companies, local governments, and community stakeholders to ensure autonomous vehicles can operate safely and reliably.