A Waymo driverless taxi caused traffic congestion on a busy road in Austin, Texas, after it appeared unable to navigate a puddle. The incident, captured on video by local outlet Fox 7 Austin, shows other vehicles easily passing through the water on the two-lane boulevard while the autonomous cab remained stationary.
Another video from Austin news channel KXAN shows two Waymo vehicles driving into a larger puddle before both stopping, forcing other drivers to manoeuvre around them. The incidents come just months before Waymo's planned launch in London, where the robotaxi service is expected to begin operations in September.
Waymo, a division of Google's parent company Alphabet, currently operates around 1,500 self-driving cars in five US cities. The company announced its expansion to London last November, with chief executive Tekedra Mawakana stating: 'Waymo is making roads safer and transportation more accessible where we operate.' UK transport secretary Heidi Alexander welcomed the move, saying it would 'increase accessible transport options alongside bringing jobs, investment, and opportunities.'
The Austin puddle incidents add to thousands of recorded autonomous vehicle incidents, including dozens of fatalities. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has logged over 5,000 autonomous vehicle accidents, while California's DMV has tracked more than 50 collision reports involving autonomous vehicles since the start of the year. A 2025 report from IDTechEx warned that 'robotaxis are still in an extremely nascent stage' and that 'any small error or delay could prove extremely dangerous' as companies scale up.
