Alphabet-owned robotaxi company Waymo is limiting service due to Saturday’s scheduled nationwide “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump and his policies.
A Waymo spokesperson confirmed the changes to Wired on Friday. Service is reportedly affected in San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta, and Phoenix, and is entirely suspended in Los Angeles. It’s not clear how long the limited service will last.
As part of protests last weekend in Los Angeles against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, five Waymo vehicles were set on fire and spray painted with anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) messages. In response, Waymo suspended service in downtown LA.
While it’s not entirely clear why protestors targeted the vehicles, they may be seen as a surveillance tool, as police departments have requested robotaxi footage for their investigations in the past. (Waymo says it challenges requests that it sees as overly broad or lacking a legal basis.)
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the city’s fire chief told officials Wednesday that “in a period of civil unrest, we will not try to extinguish those fires unless they are up against a building.”
