Waymo suspends service in parts of San Francisco amid recent ICE protests

(KRON) — Waymo suspended service in parts of San Francisco on Monday, according to a company spokesperson. Service for the driverless taxi company was halted amid recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests in the city that became violent.

The Waymo spokesperson did not specify where in San Francisco service will be suspended. The autonomous vehicle company says it is aware of the potential protests in the city. As a precaution, Waymo is not providing service in those areas.

Waymo is in contact with local authorities in San Francisco to determine where it may need to halt service in the city.

Another protest against ICE is set to take place in San Francisco Monday evening at the 24th and Mission BART Plaza.

On Sunday evening, hundreds gathered outside the ICE building on Sansome Street in the Financial District. More than 150 arrests were made as the rally turned violent, with vandalism committed across the area.

Multiple Waymos were vandalized in San Francisco, including one that was spray-painted (see photo below).

Protests against ICE are at a much larger scale in downtown Los Angeles where Waymo has suspended service in that portion of the city. Waymo received guidance from the Los Angeles Police Department to halt service amid multiple driverless taxis being set on fire and vandalized.

One Waymo driverless car is between an estimated $150,000 and $200,000 each, according to a 2024 report by the Wall Street Journal.

KRON4 reached out to the Mountain View-headquartered Waymo for information about the suspension of service. We did not hear back in time for this report.

KTLA’s Iman Palm contributed to this story.