Waymo Curtails San Francisco Service Amid Escalating Protest Activity

After protesters set fire to five Waymo autonomous taxis in Los Angeles on Sunday, the company began preemptively limiting its service on Monday in San Francisco areas anticipated to host demonstrations opposing President Donald Trump's immigration policies.

Waymo has not specified which parts of San Francisco will see service suspensions or how long these restrictions will last. The company’s autonomous Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicles, equipped with numerous cameras and sensors and valued at approximately $100,000 each, have become a popular fixture and tourist attraction in the city.

A company spokesperson stated, "We are aware of potential protests and, as a precautionary measure, will not operate in locations where gatherings are expected."

For some demonstrators, Waymo's driverless taxis symbolize resistance to the close ties between the technology sector and the Trump administration’s policies, according to a San Francisco activist who attended Monday’s protests.

"Waymos lack human drivers and, therefore, lack humanity," the activist commented. The destroyed autonomous vehicles represent "a symbol of ongoing efforts by the tech industry to disconnect communities throughout the nation's history."

Waymo’s San Francisco restrictions followed the burning of its autonomous cars in Los Angeles, where hundreds have protested recent escalations in federal immigration enforcement. Images showing the charred Waymo vehicles—including one featuring a protester posing with a Mexican flag atop the burned cars—circulated widely online. Prominent figures on social media shared these images as emblems of perceived disorder in Los Angeles.